What a Whip! LiveAuctioneers.com to Gavel SWEET McLaren Roadster

Auction to Benefit St. Jude's

It is among the last of its make and model to be offered to the U.S. market and Thursday is the day some deep-pocketed enthusiast could be driving it home. It is a McLaren SLR Roadster, one of the centerpieces of the Saks Fifth Avenue 2008 Holiday catalog and the star of its very own auction, courtesy of its manufacturer, Mercedes- Benz, and LiveAuctioneers.com.

According to the site, via its Auction Central News platform, the starting bid on the car is set at $529,500, and all additional funds raised above this amount will be donated to the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital's Thanks and Giving campaign.

The uber-hot whip will be offered via an exclusive online auction on November 20, 2008, from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. EST. Interested parties are invited to place their bid at http://www.liveauctioneers.com/catalog/17643.

With special features such as carbon-fiber bodywork finished in bespoke SLR Sienna Pearl metallic paint, and a signature light brown leather interior, this is the only SLR in this combination destined for the U.S., according to ACN:

"The Mercedes McLaren SLR Roadster completes its limited production run with this unique SLR Roadster. Featuring a hand-built supercharged V-8 engine with 617 horsepower, retractable roof and top speed of 206 miles per hour, the SLR Roadster moves from 0 to 60 in 3.8 seconds."

(Photo supplied to ACN by Mercedes-Benz and used here without permission. But PLEASE don't make us take it down.)