Dude, where’s my car?
- Chesapeake Bay Wedding Magazine
- 1 day ago
- 3 min read
Vintage limousine service has you arriving in style
By Cecelia Shilling
When Jack Higginbotham decided to start a side business with his son Edward Higginbotham, Ed remembered a theory his dad always discussed about making money when he was growing up.
“He's always had this theory called ‘the arms of the octopus’,” Ed said. “[It’s] a bunch of little small money-making things on the side, and if they relate to his interests, it's a bonus.”
What are the Higginbothams interested in more than anything else? Cars.
Describing himself as a third-generation “car guy,” Jack remembers being interested in cars all his life and instilling that love in his son. Both licensed racecar drivers, Ed took an internship with NASCAR in Florida while his dad remained in Centreville running their soon-to-be shared business, Concours Vintage Limousines.
Concours Vintage Limos serves weddings on Maryland’s Eastern Shore and the surrounding area, providing transportation and photo-ops with their state-of-the-art 1961 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud II.
“One of the reasons that I wanted to do weddings is, first of all, they are just the happiest day,” Jack said. “It's a beautiful day, and we're there to kind of put the icing on the cake, metaphorically.”
Concours Vintage Limousines was founded in 2013 after the pair took a road trip to an Astoria warehouse to check out the Silver Cloud. After combing the internet and researching the best cars to photograph, Jack thought the ‘61 Rolls-Royce might be a kind of “fairy tale” car to have at a wedding.
“Driving a vintage car for the first time through Astoria in Brooklyn is kind of terrifying,” Jack said. “We were outside of LaGuardia Airport, and we were at a light, and car after car after car came out of LaGuardia, and people were pointing at us and giving us thumbs up and waving, and I knew I had the right car for the business.“
The Higginbotham’s love for cars started long before their 2013 purchase, with Jack’s father, John, returning home from WWII and becoming one of the first racecar drivers as the sport was introduced in the United States.
“My dad raced in the ’50s and had some very cool cars,” he said. “I grew up around his enthusiasm and a lot of neat machinery. I caught the bug at a very early age.”
Though Jack himself didn’t race until his late 30s, he said, Ed grew up on the tracks and in pits learning to work on cars. Now, the two take turns “babying” their shared business and the classic cars, including a 1939 Rolls-Royce Wraith Limousine bought a few years after finding the ‘61.
“It's very different from [driving] a modern car,” Ed said. “You kind of drive with it rather than drive it, if that makes sense. It kind of drives like a boat; low power, kind of wanders, you put it in the direction you want it to go and it goes there.”
The 1961 car is certainly the star of the show, with Jack and Ed noting how pleased and impressed customers are with the stunning white vehicle. The car makes for an especially relaxing trip after a long wedding for some couples, Ed said.
“It's the best seat in the world,” Ed said. “It's like your grandfather's old, worn-in leather couch. It's just the most comfortable thing. What we hear all the time is like a bride and groom, they're done with their reception. They’re wicked tired and they get into the back of the car. They’re like ‘this is the best seat I’ve ever sat in.’”
When Steve Canning rented the White Silver Cloud Rolls-Royce for his son’s wedding this past April, he was thrilled with the service Ed provided and hopes that future generations will continue to appreciate antique vehicles like the classic cars Concours Limos provides.
“Everybody was so impressed by that car and even the public turned their heads when they realized it was for a wedding,” Canning said. “My son and his wife will have the memories forever that their overcast wedding day was made a little brighter by a White Silver Cloud.”
The Higginbothams not only love the cars they drive but also love the happiness they get to bring to people’s special days, Jack said.
“When the bride gets in the car or sees the car for the first time, the joy that is on her face is almost indescribable to me,” he said. “I've only seen joy, and it's just been amazing. It's just been awesome.”