Merdad's tuned McLaren MP4-12C to be called MehRon GT

Normally our response to something called a Merdad Mehron GT would be "The what what?" Having seen it, however, our response is: "That's hot." The British tuning firm that normally occupies itself turning Porsche Cayennes into hot, swollen messes has looked homeward

and out of nowhere done a bang-up job with the McLaren MP4-12C. As impressive as McLaren's offering is out of the box, to our eye, Merdad has made it better.

It has done so with a body kit that beefs up the svelte lines of the standard car. Up front is a new splitter with cues from the Ferrari 360 and GT by Citroën. Along the sides, gone are the twin gills, replaced by a single, massive vent that elegantly separates a fine front form flowing into a meaty business end. In back are new vents and color-cued diffusers and provide the type of rear end you'd expect from the house of the F1.

Merdad hasn't said much about it, but rumor is that we'll see it next week at the Frankfurt Motor Show, and it will be released next year along with a GT3 version.

Transparent ‘Ghost Car’ sold at auction

CHICAGO: Some car enthusiasts prefer black, some red. But a buyer at a Michigan auction got a truly one-of-a-kind color -- transparent.

The 1939 Pontiac Deluxe Six "Ghost Car," first displayed at the New York World's Fair and later at the Smithsonian Institution, was sold Saturday for $308,000. Originally built for $25,000, the car with a Plexiglas body was the first transparent car built in America. Another was built the following year, but its whereabouts are unknown.

"This is the only one known to exist," said Alain Squindo, a car specialist for RM Auctions, which held the auction for the "Ghost Car" and other specialty vehicles in Plymouth, Mich. "It's a very original car."

The Ghost Car was first displayed at the 1939/1940 New York World's Fair, Squindo said. It toured a number of dealerships, and then was at the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. for a number of years. It has been owned by the same family since the 1980s. "They were rather sad to see their beloved car go," Squindo said. He could not disclose the name of the buyer.(Reuters)