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The story is as unique as the Limo Joint itself...
Farm Transport
When COVID halted all commercial airline travel, our owners were faced with figuring out how to get to and from their farm to pick up hemp shipments. We found a cargo plane on ebay located in Laredo, Texas that seemed to be ideal for our needs. We purchased the plane and arranged with the seller to have it airworthy and repainted.
A Checkered Past
While working on the FAA registration, it was discovered that this plane previously had its Mexico registration revoked for security violations. Apparently the operator wasn't moving "Garments" and had been tied to the Sinaloa Cartel and its massive narco trafficking air fleet. Click here to read the full story published by Vice.
Glass Half Full
After uncovering the plane's troubled past, we continued running into roadblocks with registration, insurance, upgrading out of date instruments and finding pilots with the appropriate type rating. There were many times we thought about cutting our losses and giving up but we're farmers and farmers never quit! Also, the fact that we now owned one of El Chapo's old planes seemed to be an interesting piece of history to have, even if it was never going to fly again.
Some Inspiration
One night when browsing the internet, we stumbled on this "Limo Jet" that got our creative juices flowing. Although our concept would be totally different, it was an inspiring moment and turning point for this project. We immediately flew down to Laredo, TX to disassemble our plane and have it hauled back to our farm in Las Vegas. Easy Deal Right? Definitely Not, The Work Was Just Getting Started.
A plane on top of a limo
Totally makes sense right? We had an excursion limo that basically sat unused so the idea was to cut the roof of the excursion, gut the interior of the plane and place the plane on top of the excursion for added head room. Seemed easy enough...
It's a Joint not a Jet
Staying true to our industry and the fact that there was already a "Limo Jet" out there, we decided the jet would be made to look like a joint and the build would be dubbed the "Limo Joint." With all of the marijuana legalization happening in the US, the idea seemed to be timed right and could be a great mobile advertisement or business concept.
Just In Time
Apparently The Questionable Business In Texas Was Under Court Ordered Receivership So We Only Had 24 Hours To Remove The Plane Onto An Aircraft Hauler Or It would Become Property Of The US Government. We Worked Throughout The Night To Disassemble The Jet Engines And Cut The Wings Off So It Could Legally Be Driven Back To Our Farm In Las Vegas.
Lose Some Weight
The Key To Making This Project Even Possible Was Ensuring The Limo Could Hold The Weight Of The Plane. We Achieved This By Gutting Out The Plane And Cutting Its Belly So It Was Light Enough To Be Placed On The Roof. SImultaneously We Were Removing The Roof Of The Excursion So The Plane Could Sit Above It, Adding another 6 Feet Of Head Room.
Added Length
Our initial calculations were slightly off, so we bought a second excursion to add extra axles and extend the back end. We eventually matched the lift and wheels so it was level. The added length created a gap in between the windows, so we decided to use that space for placement of the jet door.
Attention To Detail
This Project Was All About Overcoming Adversity But We Wanted To Make Sure We Had Fun With It. One Of The Coolest Features Was The Fact That We Re-Integrated The Jet Door Into The Limo, Giving It A True Plane Feel. Soon We Will Be Able To Walk Into A Full Sized Joint Via A Gull Wing Door.
Initial Fitting
Although we reduced the overall weight of the plane to be within the excursions load rating, it was still an unknown if all of this was going line up correctly. We had the crane company come over and to our benefit, the plane fit perfectly on top of the excursion with no major strain put on the vehicle chassis or suspension. We spent a couple months fastening and securing the plane to the vehicle before moving on to any interior or exterior cosmetic upgrades.
Paint Upgrade
We Wanted Something Versatile That Also Screamed Weed, So We Went With An Chameleon Green Rhino Liner For The Color Of The Body. For A While We Kept The Top Of The Plane Unfinished While We Decided What To Do With The Tail Wing. Although (2) 10 Ft Digital Billboards Fit Perfectly And Would Have Been Ideal For Advertising Purposes, We Exceeded The Allowable Height Of A Legal Street Vehicle, So Had To Remove Them. The Limo Joint Currently Stands At 12 Feet Tall So It Can Fit Under All Highway Underpasses And Be Legally Driven On Streets.
Dont F*** With The Cockpit
We Were Fortunate That The Existing Excursion Limo Had Excellent Condition Interior So Not Much Work Was Needed On That Site. There Was Some Upholstery Needed To Finish The Inside Panels Of The Plane And We Did Keep The Original Cockpit Of The Cartel Plane In Tact, So You're Basically Getting The Best Of Both Worlds When You Step Into The Limo Joint.
The Limo Joint Mile High Club
In The Remaining Back Space We Had To Find A Way To Tie Everything In So We Sourced And Installed Some Old First Class Seats From Delta Airlines. We Fabricated An Oxygen Mask Contraction That Hooks Up Directly To A Volcano Vaporizer So Visitors Can Effortlessly Inhale Cannabis Smoke In One Of The Cleanest Ways. Yes, You Can Get Very High If All The Oxygen Coming In Is Vaporized Weed Smoke.
Even The Joint Smokes
Once We Neared The End Of This Project, All The Technical, Mechanical Aspects Were Complete So Now It Was Time To Put On The Finishing Touches. One Of The Main Exterior Features Is The Painted Joint That Actually Smokes. It's Definitely A Site To See And Something Everyone Gets A Kick Out Off When They See A Plane Turned Joint Lighting Up!
A Beautiful Site To See
Once It Was All Completed, One Of The Most Rewarding Things Was To Stop And Stare At This Masterpiece. To Think This Was Just A Random Limo And One Of El Chapo's Narco Planes. If You Would Have Told Me One Day They Would Be Fused Together Into A Harnonious Piece Of Custom Automotive Artistry, I'd Ask For Whatever You Were Smoking.
Oh Wait There's More
Since We're Gambling Risk Takers Living In Las Vegas, We Decided To Apply For An Independent Cannabis Consumption Lounge In Nevada As The Limo Joint. And To Our Suprise, We Were Selected Out Of A Lottery And Are In The Process Of Getting Our Final Approval To Proceed WIth Opening A Lounge In Las Vegas.