THE AMBASSADOR'S ROLLS

New Pricing

2011-10-06T13:31:00.000-07:00

As of October 1st, 2011, The Ambassador's Rolls has changed the pricing for the smaller, non-Coach, vehicles. The vast majority of our runs happen on weekends, to compensate for the excessive wear and tear to the vehicles as they are used back-to-back, Fridays through Sundays will run at $150 / hour but all other weekdays (Monday through Thursday) will remain $130 / hour.

Thank you for your understanding.

ARLimo Takes 2nd in Channel 7 A-List Competition

2011-09-06T12:16:00.000-07:00

We're proud to say that The Ambassador's Rolls finished in 2nd place out of 45 nominees for the 2011 Denver Channel 7 A-List competition! Last year our small business placed 5th in the Limousine category so our improvement has been significant and is due in no small part to our wonderful customers and partners. We'd like to thank all of our fans, associates, and patrons for taking the time to cast their votes. While we still have yet to claim the crown, this year's results are certainly omens of great things to come.

Stay tuned for the 2012 competition as we get in gear to take the crown!

Ambassador's on Martino TV

2011-06-27T09:34:00.000-07:00

The Ambassador's Rolls made a very special appearance on Friday's Martino TV. Check out this great interview with our sales representative Kelly and two of our wonderful vehicles.

Denver Channel 7's A-List 2011

2011-06-24T10:25:00.000-07:00

We recently received and set up our promotional swag from Denver Channel 7's A-List. Anyone in the mood for some spirited competition?

Beginning today, visitors to the Channel 7 website are welcome to log in and vote for their favorite Denver businesses to be ranked as A-List members. The Ambassador's Rolls was thrilled to take 5th in the 2010 limousine category but today we want to aim even higher! If you've experienced our service and believe we deserve a spot on the top, please take a moment to cast your A-List vote for The Ambassador's Rolls. Log in using your Facebook, Twitter, or Google credentials or sign up for a Channel 7 account.

Thanks for taking the time to vote!

Vehicle History - 1936 White Motor Co. Touring Coach

2011-06-09T11:11:00.000-07:00

While our most popular requests for vehicles are our Rolls-Royce limos, we always ask interested parties to consider our elegant and rare Touring Coaches. They may appear on the surface to be fairly standard vintage buses, but these are some of the most historically significant and uncommon commercially available coaches in the US. Their history is rich and we hope it will help you come to appreciate these automobiles as much as we do.

The Ambassador's Rolls' 1936 White Touring Coach (1 of 2)

When the US National Parks first began, visitors would arrive by train and take horses or stagecoaches up the winding roads. As horse and buggy travel was gradually replaced by motorized vehicles, the relatively young National Parks wanted to attract visitors by providing an incomparable offer to see the parks in style and comfort - modern combustion engine coaches. The parks already had various automobiles running on their roads, but there was no reliable standard. Vehicle manufacturing and design was young at the time and the pool of companies was small; most existing car models were so under-powered and low on seating that they weren't practical, so the US Park Service challenged designers to produce a high capacity vehicle that could handle the steep roads and treacherous turns of the parks, to be tested on Yosemite National Park.

White Motor Co. logo, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Four companies participated in the challenge and each of their vehicles were run on an identical stretch of Yosemite. White Motor Company was one of the competitors, originally getting its start as manufacturers of sewing machines in Ohio. After the owner's son made a great improvement on steam Locomobiles, White Motor Co. split from the sewing machine department and formed its own branch, mainly for fear of fire in either paint department destroying both businesses.

In 1909, William Taft selected the White Model M 7-seat tourer as the first official automobile of the US President, generating significant interest in White. After co-founding brother Walter White died in a traffic accident, the company took a turn for the worst. Workers started striking and formed one of the first ever automotive unions in the US. Robert Fager Black took over in 1935 and was deeply sympathetic to their plight. He learned them all by name, supplied baseball equipment to striking workers, and eventually convinced them that the old White had finally returned thanks to Black. He was adored by his employees until retiring in the 1950's.

Robert Fager Black, courtesy of The Western Reserve Historical Society

When the competition for the king of the parks had ended in 1935, head and shoulders above the rest was the model 706 Touring Coach by White Motor Co. Their massive 318 cubic inch 6 cylinder engines conquered the roads with ease and their physical design was appealing, sleek and modern, created by the famous Russian-American industrial designer Count Alexis de Sakhoffsky. It was put into service for Yosemite, Yellowstone, Glacier, and other locations.

Visitors at Yellowstone's Grotto Geyser next to a Model 706 Touring Coach, courtesy of The National Park Service

The Touring Coaches featured seating that ranged from 14 to 17 depending on which park it serviced, boasting a convertible roll-back top so riders could get a completely unobstructed, 360 degree view. They were very well received and quickly became a staple of the National Parks until after World War II when personal vehicles became more popular and interest decreased in the coaches.

The interior of one of The Ambassador's Rolls' Coaches

The coaches of Glacier National Park are especially well-known and beloved. Painted a bold red and black, they're affectionately known as "Red Jammers." The term Jammer comes from the sound the coaches made when they ran on standard transmissions, drivers would use a technique called short-shifting in which gears are switched early to anticipate road changes as well as increase grip on the road. Even the drivers themselves are celebrities, known as "Gear Jammers."

A Red Jammer in Montana, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Yellowstone operated 27 of the buses in 1936 and had used as many as 98 by 1939. The coaches in Yellowstone are an appropriately garish Yellow and Black:

A Yellowstone Touring Coach, courtesy of Alan Vernon's Flickr

Today, Glacier National Park runs 33 of their original 35 coaches while Yellowstone still runs seven. Ford Motor Co. renovated the coaches for modern use between 2002 and 2007 yet both parks elected to keep one of the coaches unmodified from its original design. Two of Yellowstone's former buses now operate at the Gettysburg National Battlefield. Most of these vehicles are either owned by private collectors, museums, or National Parks. The Ambassador's Rolls is perhaps the only business in the United States offering these rare coaches for commercial use.

A 1936 White Touring Coach from The Ambassador's Rolls

If you are considering a large party and are on the fence, there is no better way to travel in style than with such classic and symbolic vehicles. We have a matched pair of coaches, number 87 and 88, which are absolutely wonderful accommodations for big groups. We're always willing to roll back the canvas tops which makes it feel like a rolling party! Go to our website or schedule an appointment to come see these vehicles, they're truly spectacular and must be seen to be believed.

The Wedding Pink was Rececntly Featured on Denver's 7 News

2011-05-19T10:44:00.000-07:00

On April 17th, 2011 Melissa Zannis and Jeff Childs were married in a spectacular wedding donated by generous vendors thanks to the organization Cheryl Ungar Gives. The Wedding Pink is a yearly giveaway to breast cancer survivors and their future spouses. Cheryl herself is not only a photographer but also a 20 year breast cancer survivor. Along with donating a wedding a year, Cheryl also donates a portion of her photography profits to a local breast cancer facility or research center.

Click below to watch a video from Denver Channel 7 News featuring Melissa and Jeff as well as all the excellent services they received from vendors like The Ambassador's Rolls

Watch The Wedding Pink on 7 News

Photos from PrideFest 2010

2011-05-12T11:28:00.000-07:00

In case you missed out last year, The Ambassador's Rolls will once again be in the always festive and wonderful Denver PrideFest in a show of support and solidarity with the LGBT community.

After the great response we got from the St. Patrick's Day Parade, we will be handing out more unique AR Limo swag including keychains and mints. Get down to the street early so you can beat the crowds for a chance at these fun gifts as well as a clear shot for photos of our vehicles. PrideFest is a truly entertaining event full of flashy costumes and floats at the time of year when the weather is just right - June 19th. Now grab your calendar, ready your pen, and get to marking it down - you don't want to miss this one!

A Pink Wedding in Denver

2011-05-02T09:04:00.000-07:00

It was a beautiful day in the city, perfect for a very special wedding. The Ambassador's Rolls is proud to have been a part of Cheryl Ungar's The Wedding Pink on Sunday, April 17^th to celebrate the marriage of Melissa and Jeff. The event's website, www.cherylungargives.com, describes it as

...an annual, heartfelt wedding giveaway package presented to a couple whose lives have been recently touched by breast cancer.
In addition to donating her own wedding photography services, Cheryl has put together an extraordinary team of some of Colorado's top wedding vendors -- all of whom have generously agreed to donate their services and products to ensure The Wedding Pink is a spectacular event for one very special couple.
The Wedding Pink - 2011 was Sunday, April 17 at Mile High Station in Denver, Colorado.

Jeff and Melissa received complimentary service from The Ambassador's Rolls in our beautiful and unique Rolls-Royce 1977 Silver Jubilee, a classic stretch limo bearing custom insignias and detailing for Queen Elizabeth II's Silver Jubilee, a celebration of her 25^th year on the throne. Melissa and Jeff looked truly spectacular on their special day and we couldn't be happier to serve such wonderful people. Enjoy a selection of photos from this magnificent event courtesy of The Wedding Pink. Congratulations Melissa and Jeff!

Denver PrideFest 2011 is Around the Corner

2011-04-04T10:53:00.000-07:00

Click to see full size

The Ambassador's Rolls, Denver's premier classic and vintage limousine company, will once again be in the always festive and memorable PrideFest this 2011! The whole event spans two days on the weekend from June 18th to the 19th with the parade taking place on the last day. Dozens and dozens of colorful and creative floats will be parading through Denver in a show of pride and support for the LGBT community in Colorado.

As we did last year, we'll be handing out hundreds of wonderful AR Limo gifts and promo items so if you missed your chance for some fancy swag in the St. Patrick's Day Parade, spend some time this June and go down to the PrideFest parade for your chance to see these beautiful, fully restored antique coaches and limos. You won't want to miss this one!

Stay tuned, because our next post will feature all the great photos from last year's parade.

For more information, please visit www.denverpridefest.org

St. Patrick's Day Parade Photos

2011-03-31T10:50:00.000-07:00

Here are some great photos of Ambassador's Rolls-Royce Limousines in the 2011 Denver St. Patrick's Day Parade. The turnout was just as large as we expected it to be as seemingly endless numbers of people clamored to watch the cars go by and for a chance to get some AR Limo swag! The demand for our mints, keychains, and sticky notes was so high that we nearly ran out at the half-way marker in the parade.

At the end of the day,when all the gifts were given out and the crowds died down, everything turned out great. Even as our part of the parade came to an end, we drove back towards the start and saw that numerous floats hadn't even gotten ready to go yet! The parade was so large it really was hard to believe at times. Thanks for letting Ambassador's Rolls LLC be a part of your city's excellent and prestigious parade in celebration of all things Irish. We'll see you there next year!

Click on any of the photos below to make them full size:

Special thanks to James McIntyre for shooting the photos, see the rest of the album and James' other photos on Flickr

The Spirit of Ecstasy - A History of the Rolls-Royce Hood Ornament

2011-03-18T10:22:00.000-07:00

Few automobile emblems are as recognizable as Rolls-Royce's legendary "Spirit of Ecstasy," a forward leaning woman with billowing fabric in the shape of wings whose forward gaze suggests both speed and elegance.

The memorable mascot comes from Charles Robinson Sykes, a British sculptor who unveiled the design in 1911 under commission of the second Lord Montagu of Beaulieu. A fashion of the time was to put striking mascots on cars as a way to give the car a unique flair and a beautiful, ornamental showpiece. The model for the original design was Eleanor Thornton who had a secret love with Lord Montagu that remained hidden for decades. Sykes gave a small nod of acknowledgement to their affair by having the first sculpture with its finger over its lips, known affectionately as "The Whisper." It was later modified for the company into the well-known sight that adorns all of Ambassador's Rolls Rolls-Royce limousines.

Lord Montagu and Eleanor Thornton

Charles Sykes created the ubiquitous sculpture using an ancient but popular sculpting method called 'lost-wax casting.' The artist creates an initial figure out of a soft material like wax or clay. A mold is made into which hot wax is poured and a cast is achieved. It's then placed in a final, fire-proof coating which allows for molten metals to poured in, destroying the wax and leaving a single, unique statue behind. The molds have to be made again and again because they are broken in order to retrieve the sculpture. For this reason, you see many slight differences between the hood ornaments of any vintage Rolls-Royce vehicle.

Click to see the image in full size

Interestingly, Henry Royce, co-founder of Rolls-Royce, was entirely opposed to the mascot on the hood. He felt it was tacky and distracted the view of the driver as well as compromised the sleek design of the car's bow. It's said that the original order to make the statues a common sight on Rolls-Royce cars was taken while Royce, the head engineer, was out with an illness. Royce himself almost never drove any of his cars with the Spirit of Ecstasy on them.

Sykes was again commissioned to make variations of the statue for Rolls-Royce partly because of the complaints fielded by Royce. The company sought a smaller, less distracting iteration of the design so Sykes unveiled a kneeling version in 1934 which made the statue slightly less prominent while still retaining the character of the first statue. Later on, the company returned to the standing design but reduced its size to achieve the same goal.

Fortunately, Ambassador's Rolls is a veritable museum of the changes to the hood ornaments. All three of our Rolls-Royce limousines feature one of the statues discussed above. Take a look for yourself:

Click to see the image in full size

As you can see, the Phantom III has the original standing design and in person it is a sight to behold indeed. It's a large and impressive statue that commands attention and turns heads, a symbol of total luxury. The 1955 Silver Wraith sports the later kneeling version of Eleanor which changes the scale of the object very noticeably. The charm of the first statue comes shining through regardless, untarnished by the changed pose. In many ways it seems to convey even more of a sense of speed and movement, as if the lady is in the midst taking off for a grand flight. And finally, our 1977 Silver Jubilee has the size-reduced standing original sculpture which features a crisper and sharper edge to its sculpture with a less mirrored finish. You can almost see wind rippling the fabric of her wings and dress, eliciting the same royal elegance of the other statues.

These are objects you truly must view in person, Rolls-Royce vehicles are incredible down to the smallest details - whether it's tiny emblems hidden in the headlights and driver's compartments or it's the Spirit of Ecstasy hood ornaments, you cannot see one of these cars and forget the experience. Our shop is always open to tours so if you're interested in booking a car, come down to our shop in the RiNo district and take a look, just don't forget to bring a camera!

Click to see the image in full size

Call us at 303-293-2719 or visit our website. Somewhere in between the royal sensibility of these cars and the timeless beauty of their designs, you'll find at least one car you will be thrilled to have at your special event.

Special thanks to The Daily Mail for the original photo of Lord Montagu / Eleanor

Denver's 2011 St. Patrick's Day Parade with The Ambassador's Rolls Classic Limousines

2011-02-28T10:10:00.000-08:00

Irish festivities, emerald beer, and a crowd in green as far as the eye can see – yes, it's that time of year again, Denver's 2011 St. Patrick's Day Parade is right around the corner and The Ambassador's Rolls full line of 6 classic and vintage limousines will be adding a touch of timeless elegance to one of the nation's largest St. Patty's parades. Statistics from this massively popular gathering place the number of spectators in the range of 250,000 with another 10,000 people in the parade itself! This unmissable event starts at 10AM sharp in downtown Denver, get there early so you can get an excellent spot and a chance at snagging some of our new AR Limo swag!

Our gifts to the people include a newly re-designed glow in the dark keychain with Ambassador's Rolls' shield logo emblazoned in festive, metallic green:

We'll also be handing out pads of sticky notes with our information and two types of different classic limousines on them, they've got a great, large band of adhesive and 25 sheets a piece, you're definitely going to want to snag one of these:

And don't forget a sweet treat! We've got loads of classy black and silver mints with AR Limo's new logo. The mint is a huge, melt-in-your-mouth styled candy with bright red stripes that will have you asking for more:

So what are you waiting for? Mark your calendars now and enjoy this remarkable procession of Irish pride and appreciation that's so large and fun you will remember it for years. We hope you'll be one of the lucky folks to take home some of our gifts. See you there!

Classic Rolls-Royce Limousines

2011-02-23T11:28:00.000-08:00

Ambassador's Rolls LLC is a family owned and operated company. The company moved to Denver, CO in January 2009 from Napa Valley, CA where we were in business for 9+ years. Ambassador's Rolls LLC is the only limousine company in Denver with a full fleet of vintage and classic era Rolls-Royce Limousines. Our fleet consists of the following vehicles:
1930 Chrysler Imperial Eight
1937 Phantom III
1955 Silver Wraith
1977 Silver Jubilee
(2) 1936 White Convertible Touring Limousines
All of these vehicles are very rare/unique in nature. You would be lucky if you found another one of these vehicles available for hire or on the road for that matter.

We would love to help service your event. Please give us a call to see if your event qualifies for discounts. 303.293.2719 or visit us online at http://www.arlimo.com/