What is a Limousine?
Discussion
21st Century Man said:
Wikipedia says it has a division.
French origin of the word says separate cabin, driver either outside or behind a division.
Other early French automobile definition says three full size windows each side.
Dictionary says large chauffeur driven car with division.
The US says airport taxi.
Joe public (and Germany) says any large luxury car.
Bobberoo's missus says a shonky twenty year old Volvo.
Anything missing?
Correction,what she actually said was, "any large luxury 4 door saloon, something like a big 7 series BMW or a big Merc, definitely an XJ Jaguar and several big luxury yank tank things, those are limousines, that thing at the top is a stretched limousine!!!"French origin of the word says separate cabin, driver either outside or behind a division.
Other early French automobile definition says three full size windows each side.
Dictionary says large chauffeur driven car with division.
The US says airport taxi.
Joe public (and Germany) says any large luxury car.
Anything missing?
21st Century Man said:
...
Joe public (and Germany) says any large luxury car.
...
Anything missing?
Not even - it's a body type. https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/LimousineJoe public (and Germany) says any large luxury car.
...
Anything missing?
In der allgemeinsten Form bezeichnet er ein Fahrzeug mit festem Verdeck.[1] - fixed head
Spezieller bezeichnet Limousine häufig das Gegenstück zum Kombi oder Coupé. - not a wagon or a coupe
An E30 2-door is a Limousine, so not even big or 4-door.
French - Berline
Italian - Berlina
English - Saloon
Amurican - Sedan
21st Century Man said:
Thing is though, so many people now reckon it's just any big flashy car, and I guess that's actually the case as language evolves. It's just a shame that it also cheapens and diminishes the original meaning...
True, but in this case the vehicle type (as some would consider it) is pretty much obsolete, aside from a few one-offs such as for heads of state (Queen's Bentley, US President's limo). The last 'true' limousine in production (in the West) was what, the Daimler DS420? Since then they're either of the stretch or the grey-area LWB variety.One other definition I heard a long while ago, and like:-
A limousine is a vehicle from which passengers can enter and leave in the order that protocol demands.
Which rules out anything saloon based, and rules in most things van based, and possibly some MPVs.
Surely the definition earlier in the thread about "car to be enjoyed from the back" means any old builder's estate or van with a mattress slung in the back?
And yes the Daimler DS420 is probably the only car we can all agree is a limousine.
A limousine is a vehicle from which passengers can enter and leave in the order that protocol demands.
Which rules out anything saloon based, and rules in most things van based, and possibly some MPVs.
Surely the definition earlier in the thread about "car to be enjoyed from the back" means any old builder's estate or van with a mattress slung in the back?
And yes the Daimler DS420 is probably the only car we can all agree is a limousine.
Jon556 said:
I’m sure Alpina in the 90s referred to all saloon versions of their cars as limousines. Even the E36 B3. I’m not sure if they still do.
Chinese market only saloons like the BMW 1 Series saloon and A3 LWB saloon (you’d think that was an A4) are called limousines there, I think.
It’s fluid, like use of the word ‘coupe’.
To me a limousine is a stretched version of a car although people do put the word ‘stretched’ before limousine… at a push I’d call an S Class a limo, if I were with people who didn’t know much about cars.
Indeed, it means different things to different people, in different places: my e36 M3 saloon is called a limousine in some markets, including Germany. I suspect it just means 4 door, or what we would call a saloon. However, I'd never refer to it as a limo in conversation.Chinese market only saloons like the BMW 1 Series saloon and A3 LWB saloon (you’d think that was an A4) are called limousines there, I think.
It’s fluid, like use of the word ‘coupe’.
To me a limousine is a stretched version of a car although people do put the word ‘stretched’ before limousine… at a push I’d call an S Class a limo, if I were with people who didn’t know much about cars.
21st Century Man said:
Wikipedia says it has a division.
French origin of the word says separate cabin, driver either outside or behind a division.
Other early French automobile definition says three full size windows each side.
Dictionary says large chauffeur driven car with division.
The US says airport taxi.
Joe public (and Germany) says any large luxury car.
Bobberoo's missus says a shonky twenty year old Volvo.
Anything missing?
I always thought the old body style where the chauffeur sits outside is called a coupe de ville. Supposedly my great grandad was a chauffeur for one of the Worsley family that lived in Platt Hall (which now sits in Platt Fields Park) in Manchester, and he drove a car with the coupe de ville body style, I don't know which car model though. French origin of the word says separate cabin, driver either outside or behind a division.
Other early French automobile definition says three full size windows each side.
Dictionary says large chauffeur driven car with division.
The US says airport taxi.
Joe public (and Germany) says any large luxury car.
Bobberoo's missus says a shonky twenty year old Volvo.
Anything missing?
georgeyboy12345 said:
I always thought the old body style where the chauffeur sits outside is called a coupe de ville. Supposedly my great grandad was a chauffeur for one of the Worsley family that lived in Platt Hall (which now sits in Platt Fields Park) in Manchester, and he drove a car with the coupe de ville body style, I don't know which car model though.
Were they munching on crackers? 
Edited by 21st Century Man on Sunday 4th September 22:20
21st Century Man said:
What prompted my topic is that in New Zealand there are a lot of Toyota Centurys with a fair sized JDM scene, many of them have heavily tinted windows. Limousines are exempted from their MOT regulations on tinted windows.
It seems some testers are passing Centurys with heavy tints because it's a limo, whilst others are failing them because it's not a limo. So there's a debate going on about what is a limousine? Thing is though, their regulations define a limousine with a helpful silhouette drawing of one for guidance, the drawing is of the familiar stretched limousine with an additional centre section.
So it's back to stretched limousine, but what's an unstretched limousine then? Anyone with tints on a large car could claim limo exemption.
In Aus the limo tint rules apply if the car has a divider between the driver and passenger compartment. Logic is that the driver can’t see out the back windows so the tint level beyond the B Pillar doesn’t matter.It seems some testers are passing Centurys with heavy tints because it's a limo, whilst others are failing them because it's not a limo. So there's a debate going on about what is a limousine? Thing is though, their regulations define a limousine with a helpful silhouette drawing of one for guidance, the drawing is of the familiar stretched limousine with an additional centre section.
So it's back to stretched limousine, but what's an unstretched limousine then? Anyone with tints on a large car could claim limo exemption.
21st Century Man said:
Wikipedia says it has a division.
French origin of the word says separate cabin, driver either outside or behind a division.
Other early French automobile definition says three full size windows each side.
Dictionary says large chauffeur driven car with division.
The US says airport taxi.
Joe public (and Germany) says any large luxury car.
Bobberoo's missus says a shonky twenty year old Volvo.
Anything missing?
This is a limouzin - http://www.sajama.co.za/limousin-sales/French origin of the word says separate cabin, driver either outside or behind a division.
Other early French automobile definition says three full size windows each side.
Dictionary says large chauffeur driven car with division.
The US says airport taxi.
Joe public (and Germany) says any large luxury car.
Bobberoo's missus says a shonky twenty year old Volvo.
Anything missing?
Jon556 said:
I’m sure Alpina in the 90s referred to all saloon versions of their cars as limousines. Even the E36 B3. I’m not sure if they still do.
Chinese market only saloons like the BMW 1 Series saloon and A3 LWB saloon (you’d think that was an A4) are called limousines there, I think.
It’s fluid, like use of the word ‘coupe’.
To me a limousine is a stretched version of a car although people do put the word ‘stretched’ before limousine… at a push I’d call an S Class a limo, if I were with people who didn’t know much about cars.
The mere existence of the term 'stretched limo' shows that there must be such a thing as an unstretched limo.Chinese market only saloons like the BMW 1 Series saloon and A3 LWB saloon (you’d think that was an A4) are called limousines there, I think.
It’s fluid, like use of the word ‘coupe’.
To me a limousine is a stretched version of a car although people do put the word ‘stretched’ before limousine… at a push I’d call an S Class a limo, if I were with people who didn’t know much about cars.
Message Board | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff