Reprinted with permission from the Houston Chronicle   Shelby Hodge

Phantom takes its clients on a spin

WHEN Nancy Morrison began planning husband Lucian's 60th birthday party recently, she wanted something special for the ride from their home in Warwick Towers to Sunday brunch at Brennan's.

Why not, she considered a Rolls-Royce of the same vintage as the youthful Lucian?

It took the ever-resourceful Nancy only a few phone calls to find the car – a 1937 Rolls-Royce Phantom.  Joe Jordan, purveyor of the fine vintage transportation and owner of Jordan Limousines, was the ticket.

At the appointed hour, Jordan in gray West Point battalion commander's coat and cap, drove the burgundy and beige Rolls up to the condo tower's porte-cochere.  The Morrisons climbed into the buttery leather interiors, complete with tapestry pillows and Oriental carpet, and settled back for the ride of a lifetime. 

It was a splendid moment that caught Lucian completely by surprise.  And it was the start of an afternoon of celebrity attention bestowed on the car and its passengers.

The Phantom is one of three cars Jordan hires out for everything from weddings to dinner dates to wildflower outings in the countryside.  His stable of Roll-Royces includes a 1963 Silver Cloud convertible and a 1965 Silver Cloud hardtop.

The Phantom is Jordan's most popular car and the bread and butter of the operation.  Personalizing each outing, Jordan provides a front license plate with the client's name and car horns that vary with the occasion.  Passengers can choose among horns that trumpet the traditional aaaoooogah.  Here Comes the Bride and Happy Birthday.

When Olympic gold medalist Mary Lou Retton married Shannon Kelley in 1990, they were transported in the Phantom.  The front license plate read "Retton" on the way to the church and "Kelley" on the way to the reception.

.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee rode in the Rolls convertible during a Heights Festival parade.  Her response to people asking her where she got the and wheel was that her car was in the shop and the Rolls was the loaner.

Jordan has been hiring out his Rollses since the '80s, when the bottoming out of the oil business left his offshore diving operation high and dry. 

He says his vintage Rolls business provides conveyance for about 250 weddings a year.  Occasionally all three cars are booked as props for a theme party.  The most unusual adventure Jordan booked was a New Year's Eve outing for three young men who traveled to clubs around town and used the seductive lines of the antique Phantom to attract dates for the evening.

Jordan says he has only two rules for those who hire his chauffeur-driven vehicles – have fun and don't tear up the car.

In the spirit of fun, Jordan ensures that for every outing each car is equipped with a jar of Grey Poupon mustard. 

Reservations and information are available by calling Jordan at 713-680-3181.