With their stretched bodies, LED interior lighting
and loud sound systems, limos are probably the most ostentatious rides out
there. The same goes for Limojet, a Learjet turned into a limo and jammed
with everything needed to make the prom night a more unique experience, if the
owner would rent it (he won’t). Used for promotional purposes, it may look like a plane, but it is
actually an empty fuselage fitted with a complete running gear sourced from
different vehicles and powered by a V8 engine.
Several parts had to be crafted from scratch, and
despite looking fast, it’s not. It’s estimated to be able to hit about 160 km/h, which is not that bad, all things considered, especially since it
weighs some 5,443 kg. You won’t want to speed in that thing
anyway, so no harm done.
Commercial jets don’t get afterburners – only
fighter jets do. So those ‘afterburners’ you see light up are just for show, as
they feature speakers and LED lights. In fact, there’s a complete sound system
hidden beneath the flaps, so the one-of-a-kind ride can bring the party to any
location, as long as there’s a road in the vicinity.
The interior has been custom made. It starts with a
single seat at the front, behind a regular steering wheel and pedals (no stick
and rudders there). Further back, it can sit up to eight occupants, who will
keep themselves busy with the entertainment system and loud stereo, while being
surrounded by LED lights. You know, the usual. Still, if you want to channel
your inner Maverick, some of the aircraft’s original buttons were kept and they
are used to control the rear lighting and other functions.
Getting it to this stage is said to have cost well
over US$ 1 million. And in order to buy it, someone interested would have to cough
up five times that. If they don’t like this configuration, they could also have
their own Learjet Limo custom built to their preferences, as that’s the whole
idea behind this project.
Now, if only USAF would sell any of those retired
F-14 Tomcat airframes to civilians… that would be a cool project for a sports
car with tandem seats.