Oct 14: It's a stretch

Happy as clams after being driven to the local airport by the local shuttle bus. Effective? Yes. Boring? Absolutely. Sure, there is plenty of space inside for luggage and lots of headroom, but all those converted vans are just that, converted vans. There was a time, not so long ago, when this was not the case (history lesson time).

Back in, well, several years ago, the typical airport limo was exactly that, an airport limo. Actually, a regular car stretched to accommodate a few more doors (you decide how many you need). Tight for space? Probably. Room for all sorts of luggage? Not always. So then, what is not to like about one of these creatively stretched regular sedans?

In so far as solving the luggage problem, the easiest solution is simply piling it on the roof.......

Secure? Not too sure about that one. Protected from the elements? You can see for yourself that, they might not be. But think of the good points. You will be jammed in with lots of interesting people, so what better way to start your time in a new city?

Sometimes these stretch jobs were based on station wagons, since they had stronger frames. Other times, a sedan, like in the middle pic, did the job. Wonder if they ever started to sag?

As you can see from this sedan from the '50's, anything was fair game to be lengthened for airport use. This particular one is an old Chrysler that has been restored for use as a tour vehicle (see old stuff in an old car).

Being a car guy, I find these old oddities interesting. Interesting, since any type of car could be converted, like this 1967 Olds Toronado. This model was a two door fastback, that ended up as a multi-door limo. Most cars would not have had to have this extensive a modification, so it's not surprising to find that there were very few Toronado's that were converted to Jetway 707 airport limos.

Note the higher roof with side windows for viewing whatever was above you (like the luggage?).

I've never been in one of these stretched sedans, but I sure can't imagine that they would be better than today's alternative. Sure, they carried more folks, but they couldn't have been more comfortable. So, like the car based ambulance, these airport cars have been long gone. The new vans are definitely better than driving one's self and also much better than being jammed into a stretched sedan.

Until next time.......