December 17th, 2011
Rolls Royce is seemingly paying ever greater attention to the Indian market. With the economy there booming and dollar millionaires proliferating, the luxury car firm is suddenly finding its cars are in great demand.
The latest Rolls Royce showroom is opening in the southern city of Hyderabad. Hyderabad is the capital city of the state of Andhra Pradesh and has a population of almost 8m. It is quite fitting that the company has chosen here for a dealership as it has something of a history in the area. Back when Hyderabad was a princely state, the last of the Nizams (the sovereigns) had no fewer than 50 Rolls Royce cars. In fact, between 1907 and 1947, 1,000 of the 3,600 cars produced by the firm were exported to India.
Hyderabad is the third city in India to get a Rolls Royce dealership, after Delhi and Mumbai. It is thought two more showrooms could follow in March – one in the north and another in the centre or south of the country. The current best seller in the region is the Phantom, followed by the Ghost.
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December 16th, 2011
Most people can drive a car, but there is far more to being a chauffeur than that. It is for this reason that investment banker, Amin Merchant, has created the Institute of Chauffeur Services in Mumbai. They now offer a 10-session course on how to be a luxury car driver.
This isn’t really a driving course. It’s more about learning to act the right way with clients. Chauffeuring involves creating the right atmosphere and treating people properly so that they enjoy their experience. Drivers therefore work on self confidence, mannerisms, car maintenance and even personal hygiene. The six instructors have so far trained over 800 drivers since last year at centres in Mumbai and Ahmedabad in Gujarat. There are now plans to open more centres in Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai and Hyderabad.
Merchant said of the training programme:
“The luxury cars market in India has seen a rise. We have moved on from the Marutis and Fiats. Now Audis, BMWs and Mercs are quite commonplace.”
Hiring a car is about far more than simply being transported in the back seat of a smart car. It is about the whole experience. Bear this in mind when you’re planning your next special occasion.
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December 15th, 2011
If you’re in love with the music of Johann Strauss, you’ll be delighted to hear that the Johann Strauss Orchestra, put together by violinist, conductor and composter, André Rieu, is performing at the O2 on both the 16th and 17th of this month. If you’re lucky enough to have tickets, make sure you also book a limo to take you to the venue. There is no better way to start and end a night out.
Rieu is considered the most popular classical artist in the world at the moment, largely on the strength of his vibrant live concerts. You can expect him to conduct his 60-piece Johann Strauss Orchestra and also play his Stradivarius violin, creating a fantastic atmosphere where the audience is encouraged to waltz in the aisles.
One of the best-selling live acts in the world, André Rieu has also sold more than 30m albums. If you own one and have never been to see a performance, perhaps now is the time to address that. Tickets for the new, second date go on sale on Friday 16th December at 9am.
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December 14th, 2011
The Rolls Royce Phantom is a timeless vehicle. Many notable names have been chauffeur driven in one at one time or another. Marlene Dietrich owned a Phantom at one point and the car is due to go up for auction where it is expected to sell for around £350,000.
The Phantom I sedan was given to Dietrich in 1930 by her bosses at Paramount Pictures on her arrival from Germany. She was often spotted being driven around Los Angeles in it and it even appeared in Morocco, her first Hollywood film.
She sold the car in 1945, but it has now become available again. Built in 1929, it has a 7.7 litre engine and was turned into a convertible at Paramount’s request. It has now been extensively restored and should command a high price, not only for its association with a screen icon, but also because it is a unique car – one of the most expensive in the world at the time it was built.
Whoever outbids the competition will also get a few little bonuses. Dietrich’s compact mirror, make-up and two bottles of perfume are housed in a small shelf in the back. The auction is being held by Bonhams in Scottsdale, Arizona on the 19th of January.
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December 13th, 2011
There are many reasons why you might want to hire a chauffeur driven limo. Maybe you have a birthday or anniversary to celebrate. Maybe you have a special night planned with a loved one. Or maybe you want to see some Christmas lights.
The last of those sounds rather unusual, but it is an increasingly popular reason for hiring a limo in the US. At this time of year, when many homeowners create Christmas displays more elaborate than Blackpool illuminations, it makes a certain amount of sense that people would want to see them to get themselves in the Christmas spirit.
Overly decorated houses are often seen as something of a joke, but they do get our attention. Some limo companies are now taking people round the local town, showing them the most striking and shameless displays.
One homeowner in Phoenix, Arizona, has a display featuring 32,000 lights. His yard is decorated with a manger, a Ferris wheel and an inflated snowman sitting on top of a basketball hoop. Unsurprisingly, this house is frequently a stop on limo tours of Christmas lights in that area, as passengers gawp at the effort that has been made.
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December 12th, 2011
If you’re planning on getting married, then there are a few things that you will have right at the top of the list. Of course, the wedding dress is one of the most important things to arrange and you need to sort out a venue too. But not too much further down the list, will be the issue of transportation.
You need to sort out how you are going to arrive at the most important event of your life; and you need to do it in style.
There are so many options to choose from, but you must make sure that the vehicle that you choose suits your style as well as the style of the wedding.
You could for example choose a Bentley chauffeur driven car for your special day, or perhaps a Rolls Royce Phantom wedding car for that classic look.
But if you would prefer something with a bit of a modern twist, then you might want to choose a Range Rover wedding car. These cars will really turn heads as you arrive at your special day and they are sure to make a big, bold statement.
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December 9th, 2011
Anyone who had been hoping to go and see Rihanna at the O2 Arena and who didn’t manage to get tickets will be delighted to hear that she has added a tenth show, which will take place on the 20th December. If you take this unexpected opportunity, you should also book a chauffeur driven car for the night. It’s worth making a special occasion of it.
Born in Barbados, Rihanna lives in the States now, but her Caribbean roots inform her music and it is her unique sound that has driven her to such stardom. The outfits help too, of course – she has developed a provocative reputation in recent years.
Rihanna has released six albums and 42 singles. Her first album was 2005’s Music of the Sun and her most recent was Talk That Talk this year. That album reached number one here in the UK and gave rise to the single We Found Love, featuring Calvin Harris, which also topped the charts.
If you do decide to go and see her perform live, brace yourself for a show that will be both raunchy and spectacular.
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December 8th, 2011
The O2 is putting on a month of free gigs. Over the course of 20 nights, there will be over 100 acts performing across a wide range of musical genres. If there’s a night that suits your tastes, maybe it’s worth hiring a chauffeur driven limo to take you out for an evening’s entertainment.
The concerts started on December the 3rd and each night sees five bands perform on a purpose built stage in London Piazza. Many of the bands aren’t so well known, while others are already catching the eye.
Nikki Garnett from Manchester has been attracting rave reviews this year, for example, while The Sea and I is the new project of former Hoosiers frontman, Irwin Sparkes. Belakiss features Ringo Starr’s granddaughter, Tatia, on bass, while Tree Top Flyers were the winners of the Glastonbury Emerging Talent competition.
There’s plenty more on offer beyond the music as well, including a photography exhibition by Carsten Windhorst and a ‘silent gig’ presented by Sennheiser. The O2 is certainly worth a visit in the run-up to Christmas, even if you don’t have tickets to one of the bigger shows.
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December 6th, 2011
The main wedding car is the one in which the bride arrives and which will then usually take both the bride and groom away after the service. However, everyone needs transportation on the day, including the bridesmaids, who are a key part of the ceremony.
For Joyce McDevitt, this proved something of an issue, as she had no fewer than 30 bridesmaids with another two on standby.
“I had 22 bridesmaids from my side of the family, plus David’s two daughters Ruth, 41, and Kate, 40, and his granddaughter. Then there were five friends whom I have grown up with all my life.”
Joyce’s maiden name is Walton and she says that this is appropriate considering the size of her family. However, she didn’t want to leave anyone out and even went so far as to get married in a church with two aisles so as to accommodate everyone.
In terms of getting them all to the church in the first place, she could hardly rely on a normal limo, so she hired two hummers, which could carry 12 people each. Another four travelled with the groom and two more arrived with Joyce herself in a Cadillac.
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December 5th, 2011
If you’re wondering what to do this New Year, why not celebrate with Kiss FM at the IndigO2 nightclub? If you enjoy the Kiss FM Kisstory club nights then this is the party for you. Hire a chauffeur driven car for the night, so that you can arrive (and leave) in style and then dance the night away to Nineties club classics.
There will be a number of special guests, including Strike, who will be performing their classic track ‘U Sure Do’ and Elizabeth Troy, who will perform both ‘Crazy Love’ and ‘Enough is Enough’.
The DJs are Kiss’s Justin Wilkes and Jez Welham. Wilkes has been DJing ever since he got a Fisher Price turntable aged six. He came to prominence in the Nineties house scene in the Midlands and progressed to major venues like Miss Moneypenny’s.
Welham has won the Sony award for being the number one DJ on the radio for young London for the 6th Year running. He presents the Kiss 100 evening show and is also Rihanna’s tour DJ.
If this sounds like your kind of night, why don’t you and your friends book a limo for the night to make sure things get off to the right start?
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