RSSLimo Rental Tips | San Francisco Travel Blog - Part 9
New Prevost Energy Management System Signals Better Fuel Economy for Tour Buses
Tour bus manufacturer Prevost recently announced that their new PRIME (Power Recovery by Intelligent Management of Energy) energy management system will improve fuel economy by at least two percent and potentially much more, depending on model, terrain and passenger load. This is good news for the San Francisco tour bus rental side of our business, as well as our clients, as it will eventually help lower fuel costs. Not many people know that we rent Bay Area tour buses in addition to our San Francisco limousines and other luxury vehicles. However, we regard these larger vehicles as an essential part of accommodating our guests’ luxury transportation needs.
New Details Released About “The Beast,” Obama’s Presidential Limousine
We have written before about President Obama’s relatively new presidential limousine, but tantalizingly few details about this limo have been available due to understandable security concerns. However, after the recent inauguration marking the beginning of his second term in office, a few more details about this remarkable limo were made available to people with an insatiable desire to know more about this highly specialized limousine, like us. So, in keeping with our ongoing efforts to supply our readers with the very latest in weird and wonderful limousine news, here are some of the new details recently released about “The Beast”:
Lincoln Plans to Add MKS Sedan to Limousine Services
Lincoln Limousine & Livery Vehicles, a division of Lincoln Motor Company, recently notified its dealers that they will now offer new Lincoln MKS sedan models as part of their limo/livery vehicle fleet program. Limousine services across the country will be able to purchase the new MKS sedans and enjoy the same warranty, support and pricing incentives that apply to other models in the limo/livery program, such as the Lincoln MKT Town Car, Lincoln MKZ Hybrid and the Lincoln Navigator. The new MKS sedan is expected to make its debut at the upcoming 2013 International LCT Show at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas on Feb. 5.
FMCSA and B.C. Government Suspend Bus Operator After Tragic Crash
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and the government of British Columbia recently suspended the license of a B.C.-based bus rental service after a tragic bus accident in Oregon that killed the driver and nine passengers. During their investigation into the accident, the FMCSA discovered that Mi Joo Tour & Travel failed to take basic measures to protect passengers by making sure that their drivers had sufficient rest for safe vehicle operations. The FMCSA and the B.C. government said that the bus service had a pattern and practice of scheduling and dispatching drivers on trips with little regard to the amount of hours they worked in a given period of time.
Fed Agency Makes It Easier to File Complaints About Motor Coach Safety
After a recent series of high-profile motor coach accidents, mostly involving unlicensed operators in the New York area, the Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has revamped its system for reporting safety complaints. The FMCSA has redesigned their National Consumer Complaint Database to make it easier for people to file safety complaints about motor coach companies and drivers. The database now features a more user-friendly interface that allows concerned citizens to provide more detailed complaints about unsafe drivers and operators. Part of the revamped site is a new smartphone application called SaferBus, which provides fast and easy access for anyone with a web-enabled phone.
Mercedes and AMG Plan Gold-Wrapped Limousines for Cannes Film Festival
Mercedes-Benz and Mercedes performance specialist AMG are planning a very special surprise for this year’s Cannes Film Festival. The movie stars and other VIPs attending this year’s films will be treated to limousines with custom golden paint jobs in tribute to the Palme d’Or, or Golden Palm, the award given each year to the director of the festival’s best film. The festival, one of the highlights of the year for film lovers and film industry glitterati, will be held from May 15 through 26 at this beautiful location on the French Riviera.
Eisenhower Presidential Limousine on the Auction Block
A vintage 1955 Cadillac Series 75 limousine once used by President Dwight D. Eisenhower and First Lady Mamie Eisenhower is slated to be auctioned off in Arizona in January. On Jan. 18, the presidential limo will be on display at the Arizona Biltmore, where it will be auctioned by RM Auctions. While most presidential limos are manufactured to transport the President and other heads of state, this limo was crafted specifically for the First Lady.
Man Steals and Crashes Limousine With Passengers Inside
Some limousine guests in upstate New York received a more thrilling limousine experience than expected when their limo was stolen and driven by a car thief while they were still inside. Police in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., say that 22-year-old Tyler S. Bellick faces a variety of charges in connection with the incident, including felony counts of grand larceny, driving while intoxicated and aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle.
Paul McCartney’s Vintage Car Sells for More Than $551,000
A vintage Aston Martin that once belonged to Sir Paul McCartney recently sold for an astonishing £344,400, or around $551,000. The 1964 roadster was sold at an auction conducted by RM Auction London and was expected to fetch at least $450,000. Sir Paul bought the Aston Martin DB5 in the summer of 1964 after completing filming for A Hard Day’s Night and before beginning the Beatles’ 1964 World Tour that heralded the British Invasion in pop music. McCartney owned it until 1970, when he sold it after having put around 40,000 miles on the odometer.
This vintage Aston still has its original Sierra blue paint job and features many luxury options including chrome wire wheels, an equally vintage Phillips Auto-Morgan record player, black leather seating and interior and many other creature comforts. McCartney originally ordered a custom leather interior patterned with musical notes. Sadly, one of the owners replaced that interior with plain black leather.
Peter Wallman, who was one of the auctioneers monitoring the bidding on the Aston for RM Auctions, thought that Beatlemania might drive buyers to extraordinary lengths to own this beautiful car.
“I’m not going to predict that happening here but if somebody collects Beatles memorabilia and just really wanted to have Paul McCartney’s Aston Martin then it could go crazy.”
There is no doubt that $551,000 is a crazy price, even for a bona fide piece of automotive and musical history. If you love the look and feel of vintage automobiles but don’t have hundreds of thousands of dollars to indulge that craving, you’re in luck! We offer several different San Francisco vintage car rentals that you can rent for a few hours, a day or even a weekend cruise down the Beautiful California coast. Each antique car in our collection is immaculately clean, lovingly restored and in top running condition to give our guests a chance to experience automotive history without having to pay historically high rates.
Our Bay Area antique car rentals are popular for weddings, wine tours, film shoots, anniversaries, birthdays and many other special occasions, like getting out of the city for an afternoon. If renting a San Francisco vintage car sounds like your idea of a great time or a great gift idea, just give us a call at NLS Limo at 800-339-8936 to make your reservation today! Baby, you can drive my car…
Porsche Announces Smaller Version of Limousine
Legendary sports car manufacturer Porsche recently announced that it will be producing and marketing a smaller version of its Panamera limousine in the very near future. Porsche has been slow to release specifics about the smaller, more nimble version of the Panamera, but early reports suggest that it will be a five-door fastback design like the larger model and is poised to compete with the Mercedes-Benz E-Class and BMW 5-Series luxury sedans. Porsche says that the new Panamera limo is going to be a big part of the automaker’s plans to improve market share and sell 200,000 vehicles a year by 2018.
Porsche president Matthias Mueller told reporters that the new Panamera limo has been in development for several years and that prices will begin around $80,000. Mueller described this price point as “the magic limit,” meaning the lower limit that Porsche would consider selling one of its models so as not to undermine its reputation as a luxury automaker. Mueller also leaked news about another new model, a sleek roadster code-named the Porsche 960, which will be positioned to erode Ferrari’s share of the performance market.
In other news, Mueller also hinted at the resurrection of a classic Porsche, the Targa Drophead, a semi-convertible coupe with a removable roof section for open air on the open road.
"We could see ourselves reviving the Targa 964 just like we did 20 years ago," Mueller said.
If things proceed as planned, these new models, in addition to yet another new model, the compact Macan SUV, would add to Porsche’s current lineup of the classic 911, the Cayenne crossover SUV, the full-size Panamera and the Boxster/Cayman. Porsche is owned by Volkswagen and set a new sales record in November, with 128,978 units sold, a marked improvement of 8.5 percent over 2011’s sales.
We look forward to seeing the new Panamera limo, but we wonder if or how it will fit into its proposed niche of smaller performance limousines or if it will create an entirely new niche. Either way, color us intrigued, as any new limousine model from an automaker like Porsche is a reason for celebration! Speaking of celebrations, if you’re looking for a San Francisco limousine rental to help you celebrate an important event in your life, call us at NLS Limo today at 800-339-8936. No other Bay Area limousine service offers a better selection of limos and other luxury vehicles at affordable rates. Add in our legendary customer service, and you and your friends are guaranteed to have a wonderful time! Please browse the pages of our site to view your limo rental options and if you have any questions, we would love to hear from you!
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Great customer service, great prices, and always a lot of fun.
I've used Nationwide 3 or 4 times now and have not once been disappointed. Great customer service, great prices, and always a lot of fun. Staff always helps me pick the best option for my group and our budget.