No single person invented the limousine. The limousine came from many different people and ideas over hundreds of years. The word “limousine” first came about in the 1700s for carriages that carried mostly wealthy elites, and in 1902, we saw the introduction of the first automobile chauffeured rides. But the first “stretch limousine” was created in Fort Smith, Arkansas, around 1928 by the Armbruster coach company.
This article will show you the full story of how limousines were invented. You’ll learn about the French shepherds who gave limos their name, the first car limousines from 1902, and how Arkansas inventors created the first stretch limos that we know today.
How The Limousine Got Its Name
The French Connection
The word limousine is derived from the name of the French region Limousin. The name stems from the resemblance between the carriage driver’s cover and the cloaked hoods characteristically worn by shepherds in the former French province of Limousin. This small detail from French history became the name for one of the world’s most famous luxury cars.
The Lemovices were a Gallic tribe who established themselves in the Massif Central area including Haute-vienne, Creuse, Corrèze and Charente territories in France. The shepherds who began the tradition of raising this special breed of cattle in Europe wore a long cloak associated with today’s lavish means of transport called LIMOUSINE. The shepherds used the cloaks to protect themselves from the rain and from the cold.
From Cloak to Car
One possibility involves a particular type of carriage hood or roof that physically resembled the raised hood of the cloak worn by the shepherds there. An alternate etymology speculates that some early chauffeurs wore a Limousin-style cloak in the open driver’s compartment for protection from the weather.
The connection was simple. Early horse-drawn carriages had drivers who sat outside, just like the French shepherds working in the fields. Both needed protection from bad weather. The covered driver’s area looked just like the hooded cloaks from Limousin, France.
The Horse-Drawn Carriage Era (1700s-1800s)
Wealthy People’s Fancy Rides
Before the invention of the automobile form of the limo in the early 1900s, chauffeured rides in gold-gilded horse-drawn carriages were all the rage in the 1700s. The very first form of a limo was a chauffeured carriage that was decorated in gold and drawn by the best of horses available.
These early “limousines” were only for rich people. Having your own driver, horses, and fancy carriage cost a lot of money. Because of the extravagant cost of owning your own personal chauffeur, horses, and carriage at the time, the use of a limousine was associated with wealth and privilege from the very beginning.
The Big Change: Driver and Passenger Separation
At first, driver and drivee still occupy the same space inside the carriage. Rain, mud and catcalls fall on both. So someone, forgotten by history, erects a partition between the chauffer and the noble, thereby birthing the first horse-drawn limousine.
This separation was huge. For the first time, wealthy passengers could ride in comfort while their driver faced the weather outside. This idea of keeping the driver and passengers apart became the most important part of what makes a limousine special.
The First Car Limousines (1902)
From Horses to Engines
When the first engine-powered automobile was invented by Karl Benz in 1885, it didn’t take long for people to figure out a way to incorporate it into a limousine. The first modern automobile limousine was created shortly after in 1902.
In 1902, the first motorized limousine was produced, yet the driver of the vehicle was still forced to sit outside while the passengers enjoyed an enclosed compartment. At this point, limousines weren’t necessarily longer than regular cars, seating just 3 – 5 people.
Still Protecting Drivers From Weather
Because the drivers were still seated outside the enclosed compartment of the vehicle they were still subjected to the elements of the weather, so they continued to wear hooded cloaks to protect themselves. Even with motor cars, drivers still needed to dress like those French shepherds from hundreds of years ago!
Official Definition in 1916
The word “limousine” was officially defined by the Society of Automobile Engineers in 1916 as an enclosed vehicle able to sit three to five people inside with the driver’s seat outside of the enclosed compartment. This was the first time anyone wrote down exactly what made a car a “limousine.”
The Birth of Stretch Limousines (1928)
Arkansas Inventors Change Everything
A “stretch limousine” was created in Fort Smith, Arkansas, around 1928 by the Armbruster coach company. According to images stored in the company archives, it was in early 1923 when the first Armbruster stretch unit was completed.
Why They Made Them Longer
Between 1921 and 1923, a Fort Smith-based bus company (called Jordan Bus Lines) asked if Armbruster could stretch a regular vehicle so that it could be used to make short transportation runs for professional purposes. Though Armbruster had never “stretched” a regular vehicle, it was intrigued by the idea and accepted the challenge.
The first stretch limos weren’t made for fancy parties. Their vehicles were primarily used to transport famous “big band” leaders, such as Glenn Miller and Benny Goodman, and their members and equipment. These early stretch limousines were often called “big band buses”.
The First Famous Stretch Limo Rider
The “King of Swing”, Benny Goodman, was the first to use one of these big band buses to arrive at one of his concerts, and soon the frenzy caught on. Then Benny Goodman, the “King of Swing,” shows up to one of his concerts in a brand new stretch limousine, developed by coachbuilder Ambruster just that year in 1928.
This moment changed everything. When famous musicians started using stretch limos, other celebrities wanted them too.
Hollywood Makes Limos Famous (1930s-1950s)
Movie Stars Love Limos
Beginning around the 1930s, stretch limousines started to be used both to mark the debut of a Hollywood superstar and to provide airport shuttle transportation between the airport and hotel and on sightseeing tours. In Hollywood showing up to an event in a stretch limo with a chauffeured driver officially set the mark that you had “made it.”
Beginning in the 1930s, limousine service became a status symbol for the glitterati. These cars were commonly used to transport high-profile guests to and from hotels and airports, political figures and their entourages, and Hollywood stars.
More Uses for Limos
In addition to recreational use, stretch limos were used to move crews and extras around movie sets. In the middle of the century, six-door limousines, also called stages, were introduced. These became a standard form of funeral transportation for the family of the deceased.
Hollywood didn’t just use limos for red carpet events. Movie studios used them as practical vehicles to move people around during filming.
Modern Limousine Evolution
Presidential Protection
Since the 1960’s, limousines have included additional features to protect and the passengers during their time on the road. Presidents started using them, so they started making bulletproof glass and armored plating to protect the president from harm.
When presidents started using limos, safety became just as important as luxury. This led to new inventions like bulletproof glass and armor plating.
Six-Door Super Stretch Limos
In 1962, coachbuilder Armbruster merges with Stageway Coaches from Cincinnati, Ohio to form Armbruster-Stageway Coachbuilders. Twelve years later, the company builds the first six-door modern limousines on Cadillac chasses. In 1974 Armbruster-Stageway Coachbuilders partnered with Cadillac to build the first six-door modern super stretch limousine on Cadillac chassis.
The 1980s Luxury Boom
Then comes the ’80s: the stock market booming and oil prices skyrocketing and banks blossoming and the advent of the Internet. Fortunes quadruple, quintuple, and it is on that wave of corporate success that the limousine will ride.
The 1980s changed everything for limousines. More people had money, and limos became popular for regular celebrations, not just for super-rich people.
Key Inventors and Companies
Armbruster Company: The Stretch Limo Pioneers
Armbruster Stageway was started by three Fort Smith men building and restoring horse drawn wagons. When a bus company asked if a regular vehicle could be stretched for professional purposes to make short transportation runs, Armbruster accepted the challenge and built the first combustion engine limousine.
The three men who started Armbruster Company were:
- Tom Armbruster
- Walter Walkford
- Charles Kaiser
Three men in Fort Smith, Arkansas namely Tom Armbruster, Walter Walkford, and Charles Kaiser started Armbruster & Company in 1887 which was in the business of building and restoring horse-drawn wagons.
Still Making Limos Today
As the oldest name in the professional vehicle industry, Armbruster Stageway is back in business and building limousine and funeral coaches in Fort Smith, Arkansas. Armbruster Stageway has the most innovative designs in limousines and funeral coaches built to handle all your needs with elegance and grace.
How Limousines Changed Society
Transportation History Research
According to Case Western Reserve University’s automotive industry research, Cleveland emerged as the second-largest center of the automotive industry in the U.S., which helped drive innovation in luxury vehicles like limousines. The development of the automotive industry created new jobs and changed how people thought about transportation.
From Rich People Only to Everyone
By 1978, automobile limos have been puttering about the globe for more than three-quarters of a century. Yet the nation claims only 1,500 or so limousine operators. It is the time when the middle class still reigns, when being rich means taking a summer vacation and sending a kid to college.
Before the 1980s, very few people used limos. There were only about 1,500 limo companies in the whole United States.
Today’s Limo Industry
As of 2023, stretch limousines comprise one percent of U.S. limousine company offerings. That total was down from about ten percent in 2013.
Today, limo companies offer many different types of vehicles. Traditional stretch limos are just a small part of the business now. Many limo services offer SUVs, sedans, and party buses too. The Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History features extensive transportation collections that showcase how vehicles like limousines became part of American culture.
Special Uses Today
Modern limousines serve many purposes:
Fun Facts About Limousine History
Big Band Buses
The first people to own a stretch limo were two bands, Glenn Miller and The Benny Goodman Orchestra. It didn’t take long for this trench to catch on. Musicians needed big cars to carry their instruments and band members from show to show.
Air Conditioning Came Later
It is not a very surprising fact that the first Limousine did not have any kind of air conditioning. For about three decades limousines lacked this technology however in 1939 the first Limousine with its air conditioner was built in the city of New York.
For 30+ years, even fancy limos didn’t have air conditioning! The first air-conditioned limo wasn’t built until 1939.
Legal Drinking
Limousines are popular with parties and other events because they allow the passengers to legally drink while in a vehicle. There are laws, especially in the United States, were drinking in a vehicle is illegal unless the passengers are separated from the driver.
The old idea of separating drivers and passengers became useful in a new way. Today, people can legally drink in the back of a limo because the driver is separated from the passengers.
The Limousine Industry Today
Different Types of Vehicles
Today, limousines are available in a variety of styles and sizes. From 28-passenger party bus limos and stretch limousines to sleek and sophisticated Sedans and SUVs, a limousine can suit every need.
Modern limo companies offer:
- Traditional stretch limos
- Luxury sedans
- Large SUVs
- Sprinter vans
- Party buses
More Affordable Now
Now that almost anyone can buy or rent a limousine, prices have fallen dramatically, and everyone can experience – for a few hours – the feeling of lounging on the comfy leather seat of an elegant, stretched vehicle while watching the city lights passing by.
What used to be only for super-rich people is now available for regular families celebrating special events like quinceañeras, sweet 16 parties, and homecoming dances. Transportation historians at institutions like Kettering University continue to study how vehicles like limousines have shaped American society and culture.
Final Thoughts
The limousine wasn’t invented by one person, but grew from many ideas over hundreds of years. It started with French shepherds wearing hooded cloaks in the 1500s. Then wealthy people in the 1700s wanted fancy carriages with separate driver areas. The first car limousines came in 1902, but the stretch limousines we know today were invented in Arkansas in 1928 by the Armbruster company.
From big band buses to Hollywood glamour to today’s special occasion transportation, limousines have come a long way. What started as practical transportation for musicians became a symbol of luxury and celebration.Today, anyone can experience the luxury of limousine travel for weddings, proms, airport transportation, or just a fun night out in Chicago. The invention of the limousine shows how simple ideas can grow into something special that brings joy to millions of people around the world.
