The Daily News

BOGALUSA - As Jamal Richmond sits comfortably in the 2007 black limousine, he talks proudly of the automobile's features.

"There are two stereos. One for the back and one for up front," he said after inserting a DVD into the DVD player. "It's actually got a place for a champagne bottle."

DAILY NEWS PHOTO/Jacob Brooks Jamal Richmond of Cook-Richmond Funeral Home stands with the company's newest vehicle, a stretched Chrysler 300. Advertisement

The stretched Chrysler 300 is the newest addition to the Cook-Richmond Funeral Home fleet, but the car is not strictly for funeral home services, said Richmond, vice president of the family-run business.

"It's available for weddings, proms and other events," he said. "We can take you to the airport in New Orleans, and drop you off if you want to."

Richmond said it's the only Chrysler 300 of its kind within miles. Cook-Richmond purchased the car from a dealer in California, and it arrived in Bogalusa last month. The going rate for a stretched Chrysler 300 is about $75,000, Richmond said. Eight to 10 people can fit in the back, which has leather seats, a bar, two flat-screen monitors, a mirrored ceiling and lights that fade from green to purple to red and other colors. The limo was recently chartered to pick up about 10 children of a dance at Bogalusa Middle School.

"They loved it," Richmond said, adding the children acted like celebrities when the arrived to the dance.

Another three orders have already been placed, and "hopefully we can get it (rented) for Mardi Gras," Richmond said.

It's the outside look of the car that Richmond really likes, complete with jet-black paint job and 20-inch chrome rims. The car is especially scenic at night, with city lights reflecting off the exterior, and three white lines that run down the back window - a feature that can only be seen at night, Richmond said.

"I love the color," he said.

Prices to rent the limo range from $150 to $200 per hour, but when a group of eight or 10 split the bill, it's really not expensive, Richmond said.

The new limo goes hand-in-hand with a new Chrysler 300 Hearse the funereal home purchased a few months earlier. The company also owns a pair of white Cadillacs that will still be used.

But it's the new car that's getting the most attention.

"When you see a limo like this, it brings excitement," Richmond said. "It makes you feel like you're somebody."