above: Delamar Hotel’s Chauffeured Classic Car Experience in the Rolls Royce Phantom 7 Drophead Coupe.
Photographs: courtesy of Delamar Hotels
More than forty years ago, Cher wondered through song whether she could turn back time. The diva and others can do just that at Delamar Greenwich Harbor.
Last June, the luxury hotelier began offering chauffeured classic car experiences in some of the world’s rarest automobiles. The 1937 Packard Limousine Berline, for example, is the oldest and only one of its kind in the world. The car’s V12 engine was considered the most refined of its peers. “It is whisper-quiet and has turbine-like power and smoothness,” says Charles Mallory, founder of Greenwich Hospitality Group.
There is an assortment of vintage and modern collector vehicles available at Delamar Southport and West Hartford as well. All are from Mallory’s personal car collection.
1937 Packard12 Limousine Berline hood ornament
“The Delamar is always trying to create new, luxury offerings for our guests. The hotels are on or near the water at most of our locations, so providing coastal experiences is a unique opportunity for us. To enhance that offering with a fun, interesting and special chauffeured car experience seemed like a great combination,” says Mallory.
The fleet includes a 1951 Bentley Mark II Countryman Radford, one of just nine such vehicles ever built. It competed in the 1954 Monte Carlo Rally, and customized features include a huge rear hatch, matching cut-glass cups and decanter, foldout picnic tables and a washbasin with a shaving mirror.
Beginning at $200 per hour with a one-hour minimum, guests can be chauffeured on a scenic route around town or be picked up to arrive in style at the hotel in one of the classic vehicles. Fernando J. Alvas Miras, chief experiences officer, says most guests opt for a one-hour ride, which allows them to see most of the region’s majestic areas.
The classic car experiences are available through November. And be on the lookout for the hotel’s upcoming outposts—Delamar Westport and Delamar Mystic that will be opening in late 2024 and Delamar Lime Rock in 2026, where the hotel will overlook the historic race track. delamar.com
MEET THE FLEET
THE EXQUISITE CARS AVAILABLE FOR CHAUFFEURED EXPERIENCES
1937 Packard 12 Limousine Berline
1941 Cadillac Series 60 Special Fleetwood
2006 Bentley Continental Flying Spur (There is also a 1951 Bentley Mark II Countryman Radford in the fleet)
1962 Imperial Crown
2011 Rolls Royce Phantom 7 Drophead Coupe