The petit Robert (a popular single–volume dictionary of the French language, first published in 1967) defines limousine (in its 1972 edition) as "Pèlerine d'etoffe grossiére que portent les bergers". This can be translated into English as "a hooded cape or cloak, of coarse fabric, which shepherds wear".
Harrap's New Shorter French and English Dictionary (1962 edition, reprinted 1973) translates Limousine as a "rough wollen great–coat".
The cape, cloak or coat gets its name from the historical French region of Limousin, which in turn gets its name from Limoges, its principal city. Limousin is the north–western part of the Massif Central, and is one of France's least populated areas.
There are two theories as to how the word came to be applied to a style of car. One is that while the car's passengers were protected by a hood, the chauffeurs had to sit out in the rain – and so they wore capes in the Limousin style. The other theory is that the hood over the passenger compartment was reminiscent of that of the original French cape.
© Haydn Thompson 2017