Can you tell me where the word "Limousine" comes from ?

Well, wonder no more, the word "Limousine" is quite old and originates from the 18th Century and is derived from a region in France called Limousin.

Shepherds, 300 years ago, in the area of "LIMOUSIN" in France needed to protect themselves from harsh weather (eg driven snow) so they constructed a special coat in order to survive the wet and cold in the mountains.

The coat was so effective that it's use caught on with other people in the area and then further away throughout France.

As it originated in "Limousin" people called this coat after the locality that it was made in, and other workers also started to dress for bad weather in the same way, especially the chauffeurs of the very best horse drawn carriages.

Clearly these poor chaps too were exposed to all weather conditions as they were obliged to sit on top of the carriages in the open air. The transport they were driving attracted much attention as it carried the high classes on their journeys and were ornately decorated.

The coat made by the French shepherds consisted of wool from goats and sheep and very good in it's purpose.

After a brief period the Limousin-clad chauffeurs were so closely identified with the coat they wore and subsequently the carriage that they sat on, that the carriage began to be linked to the drivers (and coats) in peoples' minds and the transport soon began to be called the "Limousine" by the public after a period of time.

The horse-drawn carriages were an extremely posh way of travelling and I am sure you can now guess where this is going.

After many decades the first motorised car, another form of extremely posh transportation for the upper classes, was invented and the word Limousine became quickly linked by natural progression (or chance) to the longer, more elegant styles of motorcar.

History tells us that in 1902, the world's first "Limousine" included a hood to cover the driver's area, thus similar to the "Limousin" coat hood for the wearer, which is partly why this term is now applied to all long luxury cars.

A separate compartment at the front of cars with a partition, for the high classes and fare-paying passengers.

During the last 100 years is the time that Limousines have had huge changes to their look, amenities, length and insides. A Limousine now refers to all cars that have been stretched for style or luxury purposes, in particular in the USA, where virtually anything on four wheels has been extended into a Stretch, Superstretch or Superlongbody Limousine.

Over the decades this includes such marques as Audi, Bentley, BMW, Cadillac, Chrysler, Ford, Holden, Hummer, Infiniti, Jaguar, Lexus, Lincoln, Mercedes-Benz, Rolls-Royce and Volkswagen etc..

There is a huge choice of large cars to select from, but most people when they think "Limo" associate a Lincoln Towncar Limousine with that word. The word Limo is now widely accepted as the slang term for all Limos.

The world of Limos in the 21st Century now offers the great Hummer Limousine, that seats up to 24 passengers in stupendous comfort.

The Hummer Limousine is by far the largest and most sought after Limo from the hiring public than any other marque, due it's ample interior and incredible length.

Now then - What's in a name - you might ask ?

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