A supercharged $465,000 Mercedes could be all yours for a mere $100

The Daily Times | Salisbury, Md. - -It does zero to 60 in 3.8 seconds. The body is carbon fiber --the same material used to make high-tech planes, spacecrafts and yachts. The engine is a 5.5 liter supercharged V8, and runs at a top speed of 208 miles per hour. Jay Leno owns one. Michael Jordan actually drives his.

But don't scratch it.

"No one knows how to paint it," says Mercedes salesman Charlie Watson. You'd have to send it to Germany -- or NASA."

The silver 2006 Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren -- a British-designed racecar made by Mercedes -- has been spotted at the White Marlin Open, Bike Week, and in Atlantic City. It is sleek. It is fast. It is the ultimate toy. Andcome December, someone will own it for $100.

"We have people calling from all over the country," says Watson. "I don't know how they heard about it," says Chris Hagel, marketing manager for the Pohanka Automotive Group in Salisbury. "It's a very rare, exotic vehicle and we saw it as an opportunity to raise a substantial amount of money for (charity)."

How exotic? The McLaren retails for about $465,000, the equivalent of eight new BMWs, 27 Toyota Corollas or the One Plaza East building on Main Street. Pohanka and Toys for Tots will sell 5,000 tickets at $100 each. Most of the money will pay for the car, but the remaining cash will be donated to Toys for Tots, the Marine Corps Reserves organization that donates new toys to underprivileged families for the holidays.

"Every year we try to raise money for Toys for Tots; we just try to have fun with it," says Hagel. "We are close to reaching our goal, with about 2,200 tickets left to sell."

There is a catch to this contest: the car can't be registered in Maryland or Virginia (and three other states) because of emissions standards. (Delaware is okay.) It gets just 17 miles per gallon, and with only two seats, it's not much for carpooling. The winner can choose a $300,000 cash prize instead of the McLaren.

"The absolute deadline (for buying tickets) is Dec. 10," says Hagel. "You can buy them on the Internet, and we even take credit cards. And all of the money (donated to Toys for Tots) stays on the Shore."