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Regarding the limo business, my son recently got married in Savannah, GA. His limo was a '37 120 four door. I talked at length with the owner operator (I was paying for it) and he shared stories. His car was retro fitted to 12 volt, original engine, added after market AC, oversized aftermarket radiator for the hot southern summers, and nice sound system. The rest of the car is basically original. He works two to three weekend weddings a month. Said he could work many more if he wanted.
He did say there is a lot of hurry up and wait issues. He did have to sit for a few hours at my son's wedding as the party took a little longer to wrap up. Also there are many little things that pop up in the car dealing with reliability and being able to make his commitments. Fortunately he is a good car wrench and he shared with me the cooling issues he had. Wow...
I too have done weddings with my '38 Eight but only for very close friends and I always did the driving. Additionally I drove 60 miles to Buffalo in 1983? to audition for the movie "The Natural" that took place in 1939. Well long story short, I made the first cut and they were going to pay me $100 a day to park the car in a street scene (filmed in Buffalo) and an extra $100 a day if I had to drive it on set. Well it rained all summer and there were many cancellations and they never called me back. The cars adjacent to me at the audition, '39 Pontiac and '38 Ford were in the movie. One was repainted as a taxi and the other was a drive by. Cool. Many members of our AACA club were also in the movie including the opening train scene.
Knowing what I know and questions I have asked I too would stay away from the big business side of the limo thing. Just do it under the table and enjoy. The insurance issues could kill your profit margin no less the other licenses.

DJ

Its to bad the guy in Claifornia had to destroy Custom Super Clippers.They are rare and highly sought after classic cars.He should have used standard clippers if he was going to trash them like that.

by GTO on 2012/2/2 11:37:56

"Its to bad the guy in Claifornia had to destroy Custom Super Clippers.They are rare and highly sought after classic cars."

Generally I would agree with GTO, in wanting to keep the vintage Packards stock. However, in this case, and I can speak from experience, as I am converting one of my Custom Super Clippers to a ratrod. I think Tab Borge has done a tasteful conversion that retains the great style these last CCA-recognized classic Packards. Consider all his customers who've probably never seen a Packard before, and now they have this glorious vision of the great marque.

Also, I disagree with GTO's comment that these are rare and highly sought. I'm frequently seeing them for sale on ebay and other venues -- for not too much money. I must admit however, I receive great stares of amazement, when my restored Custom Super Clipper rolls down the road -- it is so massive and shiny.

Its a shame only two of this model were ever custom-built as convertibles (this topic has been discussed here before). I think the car looks magnificent with its top down.

Now, not to brag, only to tantalize, in September 2011, I had the privilege of sitting in one of the two originals. I thank this site for helping me find it! Here's a peek:

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I agree with GTO on this one. If you're going to chop and re-engine a 46/47 Clipper, do it on a lesser model than the top-of-the-line Custom Super.

As someone who spent many years in business for himself, I can't urge you too strongly to take full note of the prices charged for the wine tours.

The tendency for people selling their services is to not charge enough.......

To Don Skotty:

Thanks for the peekabo of the Sheik of Kuwait car. Ever since I first came across the original Derham files on this and the companion and near twin, the King of Lebanon car back in the 60s, I've had a keen interest in them. Is there any more recent history you can update us on it - and does the other one still exist?

Any chance for more pictures?

And I love to have the thief-proof number.

Dave

Okay, twist my arm.

Here are a couple more photos. When the hood was off, I should have gotten the theif-proof number. Dave, I'll try to get it for you.

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@FPTGearhead,

Funny mentioning "The Natural", I just got home and was scrolling through the TV listings and AMC is running it back-to-back right now. I've never seen it.

@Patgreen,

I agree about charging the right price. Its very crucial to not screw yourself out of potential revenue but equally as important not to overprice yourself right out of business.

Don, thanks for the extra pics! Hope to get the thief-proof when convenient for you.

How about the King of Lebanon convertible sedan - is it also a survivor?

Haven't been able to get any lead on the Pres. of Lebanon convertible sedan. May have to go to the mid-east to find it. Would be amazing if it survived the Lebanese civil war. I suppose you will want that TProof number, too!