Larry Ojeleye has gone to great lengths to bring the “bling-bling” lifestyle to Lawrence.

Thirty-seven feet, to be exact.

Ojeleye, owner of Affordable Limousine Service, 952 N. Third St., recently added a new, head-turning vehicle to his fleet: a black, stretch 2001 Lincoln Navigator capable of seating 22 people.

The sport utility vehicle-turned-limousine — which Ojeleye will only say he paid “about $75,000” for — has such amenities as a hardwood floor, a solid walnut bar and trim package, fiber-optic lights in the ceiling that change color and three flat-screen TV monitors.

Oh, and the piÃce de resistance: a glowing, electric “fireplace” with 16-inch imitation logs and a brass grille — perfect for the aspiring rapper needing a “bling bling,” or flashy, ride.

In fact, Lawrence rap artist Cassanova — who appears on the Lock-N-Load Records label owned by Keith Loneker — rented the stretch Lincoln to take him and three friends to the Snoop Dogg concert Sunday at Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in Bonner Springs.

Cassanova — real name: James Hawkins — and his posse rented the vehicle for seven hours, spending more than $1,200 to travel to and from the concert in style, Ojeleye said.

Remnants of their evening were still in evidence earlier this week: two empty bottles of 1996 Louis Roederer Cristal champagne — at $150 and up, the favored beverage of rap mogul P. Diddy — littered the vehicle’s floor. A Cassanova compact disc, “Yard Sale,” remained in the car’s CD player.

Cherina Chapman checks out the amenities in a stretch 2001 Lincoln Navigator limousine. Lawrence's newest luxury rental vehicle includes a hardwood floor, fiber-optic ceiling lights and three flat-screen TV monitors. But such surroundings don't come cheap: The rental charge is 75 per hour, with a minimum two-hour booking.

Other folks in Lawrence are lining up to rent the SUV, too.

“We got it rented for a wedding Sept. 13, and we already got it rented for a wedding July 10, 2004,” Ojeleye said.

He or one of his staff of five part-time drivers will be chauffeuring a group of 12 people Saturday from Lawrence to a bash in Columbia, Mo.

And the Saturday after that, a group of six has rented the vehicle for a round-trip ride to a St. Louis party.

So clearly there’s a market for such a car in Lawrence.

“That’s what everybody wants now — to ride in a stretch SUV. That’s the most luxurious limousine,” said Ojeleye, a native Nigerian and a 1992 Kansas University graduate.

¢ 6News video: Stretch limo lets the party roll¢ Limousine driver rolling in style (8-29-01)

The rental charge is $175 per hour, for a minimum of two hours.

Toppling the Town Car

The Lincoln Navigator appears to be a one-of-a-kind vehicle on Lawrence streets.

Ojeleye says he knows of no other stretch SUVs in town, though there are several available for rent in the Kansas City area.

Larry Ojeleye and his 37-foot-long Lincoln Navigator attract attention wherever they go. The luxury limousine filled four parking spaces Thursday in downtown Lawrence.

He bought the used Navigator July 13 from T&Y Limousine in Reading, Mass., near Boston. Then he drove it 23 hours back to Lawrence.

T&Y Limousine was the company that originally ordered the Lincoln, which was built about two years ago by Craftsmen Limousine in Ozark, Mo., a custom maker of stretch vehicles and private luxury buses.

It’s just one among many mammoth, gussied-up rides that emerge from the Craftsmen workshop.

“I’ll make 55 stretch SUVs in a year, plus buses on a Freightliner chassis,” said Bob Haswell, owner of the 14-year-old business. “They are the big thing. People are tired of a (Lincoln) Town Car. Been there, done that — it’s old hat. (Stretch SUVs) are larger, they’re more comfortable. It’s something new and different.”

Haswell said the Navigator that Ojeleye bought from T&Y Limousine originally cost $105,000.

“He got a good deal for it,” said Haswell, when told the price Ojeleye spent to acquire the car.

Ideal for high rollers — or wanna-bes

The extended Navigator creates quite a stir wherever it goes.

Inside the 30-foot Lincoln Navigator, a bar stretches along one side and a fireplace is on the other, while a television rests in the corner.

That was clear earlier this week when Ojeleye and part-time driver John Oesterlee took the vehicle for a spin downtown.

As the stretch limousine rolled along Massachusetts Street, heads turned, fingers pointed and mouths gaped in disbelief.

A knot of people emerged from Milton’s Coffee & Wine, 920 Mass., and came up to take a closer look.

Ojeleye invited them to step inside for a ride around the block, and six agreed.

“This is gorgeous. Do we break out the champagne?” said Jennifer Titus, office manager at Milton’s. “I’ve never been in a limousine with a fireplace. I like the (crystal) glasses and everything. It is beautiful — I’d use it.”

Mark Mikkelsen of St. Joseph, Mo., was less impressed.

“I think (rap star) Eminem ought to be in it. It’s a little ostentatious,” he said.

But Ed Weathers of Lawrence was clearly taken in.

“I think it’s awesome. I’ve never been in a limo before — first time. I think it would be a good opportunity to get a group together and have a party. I wish my wife could have seen it,” he said.

So why would anybody rent such a vehicle?

“People want it to make a statement,” Ojeleye said. “When you get out of it, people think you’re a high roller.”

— Staff writer Jim Baker can be reached at 832-7173.