London double-take

September 22nd, 2007, 2:33 pm · 3 Comments · posted by Jan Norman, small-business columnist

Why care about startups?… Wow! ad words…

English visitors to Orange County may think they landed at the wrong airport these days.

Orange County entrepreneur Eduardo Delgado has just started running authentic London black cabs out of the Hilton Hotel in Costa Mesa, but he’ll drive passengers anywhere in OC.

Delgado, whose company is named Her Majesty’s Ride, bought the diesel vehicles from London Taxis International - popularly known as LTI - of Coventry, England, the only remaining British-owned automobile manufacturer.

The durable, five-passenger cabs (some hold six) are popular with celebrities including Prince Philip and oil millionaire Nubar Gulbenkian, who bought one because it “can turn on a sixpence, whatever that is.”

Delgado introduced his “motorised hackneys” Friday with English trumpeters at the Hilton entrance and served tea and English scones with clotted cream.

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JO says:

September 22, 2007 at 11:04 pm

I am from the U.K. and a sixpence is an old coin we used before we went to decimal money,it is small and roughly about the size of your 10 cent coin.:)

bob says:

September 26, 2007 at 12:59 pm

Its hard enough starting a taxi company with insurance and state inpections and the like with domestic vehicles…but now to be burdened with right hand drive vehicles and especially calif emissions requirements it would seem like an almost impossible task and still make money…

california car insurance quote online says:

October 4, 2007 at 8:45 pm

california car insurance quote online

Nice post. Thanks

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