He’s Riding High in a Stretch SUV
The most stylish ride to next Sunday’s Golden Globe Awards may be in a stretch SUV. The new service, called SUV Limousine, is a one-man, one-car operation started by a former driver for Atlanta’s All American Hummer Limousine Co., Jon Kabbash. At that time, the limo business took a back seat to his studies at the Atlanta Institute of Music, but all that changed last December.
“I have always been a fan of the American dream,” he said. When he found out there were no SUV limos for rent in L.A., he was floored. “I couldn’t believe there weren’t any out here. It should have started in L.A.”
Kabbash quit his job and sold his house and stocks to head West. The 29-year-old arrived in L.A. on Dec. 5, picked up his stretched Lincoln Navigator on Dec. 10 and opened his business Dec. 15.
“SUV limos are exotic, but they are also utilitarian,” Kabbash says.
The four-door white Navigator was custom-built by Ultra in Northern California for about $100,000. It has a gray leather interior with two TVs, a VCR and a 12-disk CD changer. The two wet bars come stocked with a gallon of vodka, a gallon of bourbon, two bottles of champagne and 25 crystal glasses. The mirrored ceiling is covered with tiny twinkling star lights. (There’s a moon roof if you want to see the real thing.)
In an SUV, passengers sit higher than in a regular limo, “so they can look down into other people’s cars,” Kabbash says mischievously. Where regular stretch limos can comfortably seat only eight to 10 people, the SUV can seat at least 14.
Not only is the headroom better, so is the head-turning ability.
“People stop traffic just to get [my] business cards,” he says. “But I never get tired of the reactions. That’s one of the reasons I did this.”
He’s also had his fair share of celebrity sightings. Driving through Beverly Hills one night, Kabbash noticed he was being trailed by a stretch Rolls-Royce limo. When he parked in front of the Rainbow on Sunset Boulevard, the same limo pulled up behind. One of the most famous entertainers in the music business (Kabbash doesn’t want to give names; they could be future clients, you know) stepped out and asked to look inside.
“The mouths of my passengers just fell open,” he recalls.
He’s had run-ins with the police, too. Kabbash recalls one night he was parked in front of the Body Shop strip club in Hollywood doing some curbside advertising.
“I was triple parked in front of a red zone and a fire hydrant, but I figured it was a good place to get exposure,” he said. “I saw the red lights flashing behind me, and I thought I was going to get a big fat traffic ticket. Welcome to L.A.!”
Several cars were called in for backup.
“There were three cop cars surrounding my limo, all with their lights flashing,” Kabbash remembers. “But they just wanted to take a look. I guess I got cocky because when the fourth cop pulled up, he said, ‘You’re in trouble.’ ”
SUV Limo is a one-man and one-car business--for now. Another vehicle is on its way, and Kabbash hopes to hire new drivers and an office staff soon. Maybe then he can get back to his music.
“I still play several times a day, and who knows? Maybe someday I’ll drive the right people in the music business and they’ll say, ‘How did that demo tape get in here?’ ”
Call (877) SUV-LIMO for information.
