(FORTUNE Magazine) – A white stretch limousine glides up to the curb. Tinted windows hide the passengers. And out steps...a bunch of guys too trashed to drive.

Production and rentals of the ultimate prom car are at a ten-year high, says Tom Mazza, co-author of Stretching It: The Story of the Limousine. Mazza credits the bull market and drunk-driving laws (any doubts of a connection to amateurish drinking are dispelled by a rule at Star Limo, outside Chicago: Throw up in the car and you'll pay $100). High demand for limos in general has pressed more white ones into service, explains Melissa Sowers, editor of Limousine Digest. "The white ones are always the last out," she says. But some people do actually prefer them. "A black limousine is the death car," says Bill Tellano, Star Limo's manager. Extra-long ones, it's worth noting, are really the economy size--more people to split the bill.

As for celebrities, says Mazza, "you would never see any kind of star in a white limo. Ever." Quick--someone tell Mariah Carey.

--Carol Vinzant