Limousine

Pope's Mercedes 600 Limousine Comes to the U.S.

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Events

As part of the 125th anniversary celebrations for Mercedes-Benz, a 1965 Mercedes 600 Pullman landaulet (above) custom built for Pope Paul VI will be on display at the 16th Annual Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance in Florida on March 11–13. The historic vehicle is making its first appearance on U.S. soil as part of a featured Class of Mercedes-Benz 600s at the prestigious event. The 600 Pullman was originally presented in September 1963 at the Frankfurt International Motor Show and quickly became the vehicle of choice among the world's wealthy elite; in addition to the Pope, Elvis Presley, John Lennon, Hugh Hefner and Coco Chanel owned one. The luxe limousine was equipped with Mercedes' first ever V-8 able to reach 0-62 mph in 10 seconds.

This vehicle built for the Pope was specially constructed with an individual seat for the pontiff that could be raised and lowered during the car's procession through crowded streets. An elevated roof, extended rear doors, and raised floor were also fitted along with other special equipment such as bulletproof glass. Over two decades, the car was used by three popes including John Paul I and John Paul II and was returned to Mercedes-Benz's Stuttgart, Germany headquarters in 1985. It comes to Amelia courtesy of the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart where it is one of many famous and priceless cars in its collection.

Tags: Amelia Island Concours dElegance, celebrity cars, classic cars, Coco Chanel, Elvis Presley, Hugh Hefner, John Lennon, John Paul II, limousine, Mercedes-Benz, Mercedes-Benz 600, Mercedes-Benz 600 Pullman, Mercedes-Benz Museum, Pope, Pope John Paul II, Pope Paul VI, The Pope

Lincoln MKT Town Car and Limousine

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

What would you rather be driven around in, a sedan or sport-utility vehicle? Lincoln is well versed in both, its Town Car having served for years as the vehicle of choice for car service and limousine chauffeurs for decades. But with the Town Car on its way out, Lincoln has unveiled its new offering in the form of the MKT Town Car and Limousine.

Offering more interior space than the Town Car sedan, the MKT Town Car is based on the MKT crossover, and has been equipped with such features as reclining rear seats and a front passenger seat that can be controlled from the rear to offer even more space. Plus the cargo area is even bigger than the old Town Car's trunk. The MKT Limousine is also being offered with as much as ten feet in additional length for even more commodious accommodations. Both vehicles were just unveiled at the 2011 International Limousine, Charter and Tour Show in Las Vegas.

Tags: limo, limousine, lincoln, Lincoln MKT, Lincoln MKT Limousine, Lincoln MKT Town Car, town car

Elvis Presley's Mercedes-Benz Limo Up for Auction

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Auctions, Celebrity Shopping

A 1970 Mercedes-Benz 600 SWB limousine (above), one of a pair owned by the the late, great Elvis Presley, will be on offer at Bonhams' Important Motor Cars and Fine Automobilia sale at Mercedes-Benz World in Surrey, UK on December 6. Estimated at about $230,000 – $310,000, it's one of only a handful of cars that the King of Rock and Roll ever registered in his name. Presley used the car which was based at Graceland for a number of years before giving it to a friend in Memphis. Restored to a very high standard in powder blue paint with a cream leather interior, it's an important example of an iconic motorcar that was much favored by celebs of the era; other VIP 600 owners included John Lennon, Hugh Hefner, Elizabeth Taylor, Aristotle Onassis and Fidel Castro. At one time, the front doors of the car featured Elvis' famous TCB Lightning Bolt logo (for "Takin' Care of Business") in gold leaf.

Gallery: Elvis Presley's 1970 Mercedes-Benz Limo

Tags: Bonhams, Elvis Presley, Graceland, leather, limousine, Memphis, Mercedes-Benz, Mercedes-Benz 600, UK

Gansevoort Hotels in NYC to Add Porsche Fleet

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Services, Luxury Cars & Autos

Say goodbye to stinky taxis – beginning Aug. 15, guests at the chic Gansevoort Hotels in New York's Meatpacking District and on Park Avenue South will get complimentary in-town car service and VIP airport transportation in a fleet of 2011 Porsche Panamera 4S's. The service comes as part of a cross-promotional deal brokered between Porsche Cars North America, Inc. and the Gansevoort Hotel Group, both of which brands are committed to innovative design. "We're looking forward to transforming the perception of city driving for Gansevoort Hotel Group guests," says Detlev Von Platen, president and CEO, Porsche Cars North America. "Appreciating one of the world's greatest cities from the spacious interior of a Porsche Panamera is a great way to increase your pulse rate without adding an iota of stress." The stylish rides are sure to make any hotel guest feel like one of NYC's 650,000 millionaires.

Tags: Gansevoort Hotel, hotels, limousine, New York, Porsche, Porsche Panamera

Limousines and Supercars Debut at Beijing Motor Show

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

The gulf between perception and reality is often enough to swallow entire countries whole. Take China, for example. The images many still conjure up in their heads when thinking about the Asian giant might come down to squalid shanty towns oppressed by communist overlords. But with the free market taking a greater hold with each passing day, the People's Republic is quickly emerging as a vital market for purveyors of luxury goods, including high-end automobiles. Sure, the average peasant may be able to afford little more than a rickety bicycle, but with the world's largest population numbering over a billion people, even the top fraction of the socio-economic strata can overshadow entire nations.

Against such a backdrop, it should come as no great surprise that the world's premium automakers scrambled to the Chinese capital this year with a wide array of exotic and luxury automobiles. In fact the cars making their world debuts at this year's Beijing Motor Show were enough on their own to outshine the last major international exposition in Manhattan. Follow the jump to see what all the fuss was about.

Tags: 599, 599 gto, a8, a8 l, audi, audi a8, audi a8 l, beijing, beijing motor show, bentley, bentley continental, Bentley Continental Flying Spur, Bentley Continental Flying Spur Speed, bentley continental flying spur speed china, Bentley Continental GT, bentley continental gt design series china, bmw, bmw Gran Coupé, bmw Gran Coupé Concept, china, citroen, citroen metropolis, emgrand, ferrari, ferrari 599 gto, geely, geely emgrand ge, Gran Coupé, lamborghini, Lamborghini Murcielago LP670-4 SuperVeloce, Lamborghini Murcielago LP670-4 SuperVeloce China Limited Edition, limousine, limusine, maybach, maybach 57, Maybach 62, Maybach 62 S, motor show, pekin, phaeton, stretch, stretch wheelbase, stretched limo, stretched limousine, volkswagen, volkswagen phaeton

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Audi Debuts Long-Wheelbase A8 Limousine in Beijing

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

If you're looking for the lap of luxury without the extroverted opulence associated with a Rolls-Royce or Bentley, have a look at the new Audi A8 L. Set to be officially unveiled shortly at the Beijing Motor Show in China where long-wheelbase luxury limousines are in high demand, the A8 L sits at the very top of Audi's range as its new flagship saloon.

With an extra half-foot of length on its standard-wheelbase progenitor, the A8 L features a rear seating area fit for a king. A full-length center console separates the fully adjustable recliner seats – each has 25 adjustable motors – with lap trays, refrigerator, controls and more. There's a 19-speaker Bang & Olufsen sound system, twin 10.2-inch LCD displays, and a front passenger seat that can fold up out of the way with a deployable footrest for the lucky passenger in the back.

Don't think that the Audi A8 L is only about the creature comforts, though. Power comes from a 6.3-liter W12 engine driving 500 horsepower to all four wheels through an 8-speed automatic transmission, rocketing this mobile palace to sixty in 4.9 seconds and on to an electronically-limited top speed of 155 miles per hour.

Gallery: Audi A8 L

Tags: a8, a8 l, audi, audi a8, audi a8 l, beijing, beijing motor show, limousine, long wheelbase, long-wheelbase

Joseph Stalin's ZIL Limousine for Sale

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

A 1949 ZIL ZIS-110 limousine that belonged to Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin is being offered for sale in Finland via global online luxury marketplace JamesList at an undisclosed price. The car, a sort of Russian Rolls-Royce, is based on the Packard Super Eight and powered by a 6 liter, 8 cylinder engine producing 140 hp with a top speed of over 87 mph. Stalin was supposedly given a Packard by FDR during the war and was so impressed that he ordered ZIL to copy it. Stalin used the vehicle, a landaulet painted Soviet green, as a parade car from 1950–1953, a fact borne out by documents from Russia's Ministry of Defense as well as archival photos. Restored to complete perfection, it has only 1276 km on it and features a stately leather interior. See the gallery for pix.

Gallery: Stalin's ZIS 110 Limousine

Tags: JamesList, Joseph Stalin, landaulet, limousine, Packard, Russia, Stalin, USSR, ZIL

Maserati Quattroporte Converted into a Hearse

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

When we leave this world, as we're all destined to do at some point, we hope we can do so with style. Whether we're willing to destroy something as graceful as a Maserati Quattrporte to do so, on the other hand, is another question entirely.

For those who simply couldn't bear the thought of riding to their final resting place in a Lincoln or Cadillac, Intercar Modena offers this hearse conversion of a Maserati. The wheelbase has been stretched and the roofline extended to accommodate the grim cargo. But if a Maserati isn't your style, the company offers conversions of everything from Mercedes vans to BMW sidecar motorcycles.

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Tags: hearse, limo, limousine, maserati, maserati quattroporte, maserati quattrporte hearse, MaseratiQuattroporte, MaseratiQuattrporteHearse

Hyundai Enters the Limousine Market with Equus VL500

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

Hot on the heels of the announcement that it would be bringing its flagship Equus luxury sedan to the North American market comes the launch of the Equus VL500 limousine. The stretched limo measures a foot longer than the luxury automobile on which it is based, and beats the likes of the Mercedes-Benz S500L and Lexus LS460L by some 15 inches, providing rear-seat passengers with that much extra legroom.

Although it hardly ranks among the top premium marques on this side of the ocean, Hyundai has quickly risen to the number four spot among automakers worldwide, and is certainly the largest in its domestic market, where the Equus VL500 is being launched exclusively for the time being. Prices hover around the Korean Won equivalent of $120,000, and three examples have even been outfitted with full bomb-proof armor for the President of South Korea, which will be used at the upcoming G20 summit there next year.

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Tags: equus, equus vl500, EquusVl500, hyundai, hyundai equus, hyundai equus vl500, HyundaiEquus, HyundaiEquusVl500, korea, limo, limousine, south korea, SouthKorea

Hugh Hefner's Classic Mercedes Limos for Sale

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Celebrity Shopping

A pair of ultra-luxurious Mercedes-Benz 600 Pullman limousines from 1969 and 1971 that belonged to Playboy founder Hugh Hefner are being offered for sale by a collector in New Zealand. Hef ordered the 21-ft. long limos with the rare 6-door configuration, of which only 140 were built, new from the Mercedes factory in Stuttgart. The 600 Pullman, last of the hand-built Mercedes models, was the transport of choice for VIPs including the Pope, Coco Chanel, John Lennon, Jack Nicholson, Aristotle Onassis, and Elvis Presley, among others.

Both cars are painted black and feature forward facing seats at the center doors, a hydraulically operated reclining seat at the rear, curtains in the rear compartment, tinted glass, a soundproof glass center division with an intercom system for communicating with the chauffeur, and tons of chrome and wood paneling. The 1969 model is finished in black leather and features a refrigerated bar cabinet, while the 1971 has red leather and a built-in television. Both mint condition cars are priced at about $165,000.

[via JamesList]

Tags: Hugh Hefner, HughHefner, limousine, Mercedes, Mercedes-Benz, Playboy

Stretched Maserati Quattroporte Limousine for Hire in Florida

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

Stretching a stock automobile into a limousine is a precarious venture. So while Mercedes-Benz can take its own E-Class sedan, as it's preparing to do, and turn it into a stretched limo to assuredly polished effect, when others try to do the same, more often than not, the modified vehicle turns out a complete abomination of the original. Take for example this stretched Maserati Quattroporte. Currently under the proprietorship of Florida's Padilla Car Collection, this Italian luxury sports sedan has been lengthened considerably to accommodate ten passengers in high style, but in effect the original's sumptuous lines have been lost along the way. Say what you will about stretched Hummers – which Padilla has in stock, too – but at least their form carries the extension well.

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Tags: limo, limousine, maserati, maserati limo, maserati limousine, maserati quattroporte, maserati quattroporte limo, maserati quattroporte limousine, MaseratiLimo, MaseratiLimousine, MaseratiQuattroporte, MaseratiQuattroporteLimo, MaseratiQuattroporteLimousine, padilla car collection, PadillaCarCollection, quattroporte, stretch

European Patent Office gives a Sneak Preview of new Mercedes Limousine

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

Automakers go to great lengths to keep their designs secret, but more often than not they leak out somehow. One way in which design sketches of upcoming automobiles find their way from the studio out into the public realm has been the patent office of the European Union. The latest to leak out from the bureau is a stretched limousine version of the new Mercedes-Benz E-Class. In this case, it wasn't just one sketch that leaked out, but several, detailing a range of factory-available modification possibilities for the mid-size luxury sedan, starting with a slight increase and extending all the way up to a full extra set of doors like those found on funeral home limos. Likely to be called the E-Class Pullman, the stretched Mercedes is likely to benefit from all manner of luxury equipment to transport its occupants in opulent comfort to rival even its corporate cousins from Maybach. Follow the link to Autoblog to view more of the patent sketches, and stay tuned for more information as Mercedes prepares the new E-Class Pullman for market debut.

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Tags: e class, e-class, EClass, eu, eu patent office, EuPatentOffice, european union, european union patent office, EuropeanUnion, EuropeanUnionPatentOffice, limo, limousine, mercedes, mercedes-benz, mercedes-benz e-class, mercedes-benz e-class pullman, Mercedes-benzE-class, Mercedes-benzE-classPullman, patent, patent office, PatentOffice, pullman

The Queen's $14 Million Bespoke Biofuel Bentleys

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Green

The Queen of England is having her two $14 million bespoke Bentley limousines converted to run on biofuels. Bentley will replace the 400 HP twin-turbo 6.75 liter V8 engines on the unique cars (above) by way of promoting the new range of eco-efficient models the famed marque plans to introduce by 2012, the London Daily Mail reports. The first of the Queen's one-off, supersized limousines, based on an ultra-luxe prototype and costing about $14 million to build, was a gift from Bentley on the occasion of her Golden Jubilee in 2002. Elizabeth II was so taken with it that she persuaded Bentley to build her another. "We have a lot of support from the Royal Family for our biofuel strategy," a Bentley exec tells the paper. "It is something about which they all take a keen interest." Prince Charles has already converted one of his Aston Martins to run on bio-ethanol made from surplus English wine, and has had his Jaguar, Audi and Range Rover converted to run on old cooking fat.

Tags: Bentley, Biofuel, British Royalty, BritishRoyalty, Limousine, Prince Charles, PrinceCharles, Queen of England, QueenOfEngland

The 6-Seat, $780,000 Maybach 72

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

A one-of-a-kind six-seat Maybach 72 is being offered for sale for those who find the regular luxury model a bit too cramped. The car started out as a 2004 Maybach 62, and was stretched an extra 10 decimeters (about 3.3 ft.) in order to add an additional pair of rear-facing back seats. The one-off vehicle is being offered for sale at $780,000, twice what the unmodified Maybach originally cost. Our sister site Autoblog has an image gallery of the over-the-top limousine. Back in October we reported on Maybach's new $1.4 million open-topped Landaulet.

Tags: Limousine, Maybach

Backseat Drivers Finish First

by Erin Mays (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

Being in the drivers' seat is so passé. Sitting in the back seat, demanding that your full-time driver "step on it," bolstered by a whopping 750+ ft-lbs. of torque, is the new black.

As heavy as they are (5,000 lbs. plus, in some cases), big luxury sedans like the Rolls-Royce Phantom and the Maybach 62 S haul ass to 60 mph in less than 6 seconds -- on par with the likes of the Porsche Boxster.

Absent, of course, is the driveability of similarly-priced luxury vehicles -- a 5,000 lb. luxury sedan does not an ultimate driving machine make. Instead, execs with cash are opting for off-the-line speed to get where they're going, fast, saving driving dynamics for their weekends on the track.

On that note, visit BusinessWeek's slide show of the world's fastest luxury cars, sure to get you up to speed in under 6 seconds.

[Source: Businessweek]

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Tags: limousine, luxury sedan, LuxurySedan, maybach, porsche, rolls royce, RollsRoyce