Seven unique ways to drive to the prom

When actress Liv Tyler dished to Jimmy Fallon on her embarrassment of her dad Steven Tyler’s affinity for stretch limos, Fallon sympathized, observing that “people that go to proms use them.”

Prom season is upon us — wedding season too — and the last thing we would want is for our tres chic readers to accidentally fall into the cliché of arriving in something as passé as a, yawn, stretched Lincoln Town Car.

You can do better than a rattletrap, bar-equipped, sparkly-overhead-lighted limo. Here are some suggestions. (Do a web search for availability in your town.)

Stretched Hummer

Rather than a stretched Town Car, how about a stretched Hummer? Now that the brand has closed its doors you don’t have to worry about everyone having a Hummer, but you can still go for this offbeat alternative. It would be even better if you could find a car service that has one painted in desert camouflage rather than boring black or white paint.

Pink Range Rover

Speaking of attention-getting paint, how about a pink Range Rover limo? One that holds 18 passengers and is outfitted with 5 flat-screen TVs and a 4500-watt (!) sound system, like the one we found at ExoticCoach.com.

Gull-wing Chrysler 300

Maybe you like the idea of a car-based limo, but don’t want a stodgy old Town Car. Why not a Chrysler 300 limo? They look cooler and you can get them with features like flip-up gulling doors in place of regular hinged doors for even more curb presence. As a budget option, maybe just rent a regular 300 for a dash of style without breaking the bank.

Trolley limo

 

Maybe you’ve got a large group of friends who want to go together, but a stretch just isn’t the right vehicle even though it holds more passengers than a regular car. Consider a trolley limo. These are really buses, but they are built to look like old-time trolley cars. They can hold about 30 people with plenty of space to socialize before and after. And the rear balcony makes a great spot for photos.

Vintage British steel

 

Looking for something a little understated and graceful rather than over-the-top? How about a classic Rolls-Royce as prom or wedding conveyance. If arriving in an English-built ’59 Silver Cloud or ’60 Phantom doesn’t make a girl feel a bit like Kate Middleton, nothing will.

Bigger is better

Sometimes nothing succeeds like excess. And no transportation is more excessive than a bus. How about a 56-passenger coach with reclining seats, video entertainment, PA system and on-board restroom for some last-second primping?

Practical possibilities

 

Not everyone has the prom budget for a glam rental, and not every town has such options available anyway. Maybe you have a friend, neighbor, cousin or uncle with a cool car? Maybe dad can rent a luxury sedan? A borrowed Mercedes or Jaguar is a lot more special than the soccer mom SUV, but try to steer clear of dad’s mid-life crisis car (young people tend not to be impressed).


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