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California teens rent McLaren MP4-12C using stolen credit card [UPDATE]

As teenagers, we all entertain the idea of replacing our high school beater with a real car. Alas, for many of us, we are left waiting a few years until we have the disposable income to replace the rusty Pontiac Sunfire we learned to drive on with something more impressive. Maybe a hot hatchback or perhaps a gently used, entry level luxury sedan. A pair of 19 year olds in Santa Rosa, CA, though, just couldn't wait to pick up their very own "cool" car, so they did what any idiotic teenager would do – they swiped a credit card and rented a McLaren MP4-12C. The two teens, Mohannad Halaweh and Nhimia Kahsay, were arrested by Sonoma County Sheriffs after the car, which was allegedly rented for $13,000 using a stolen credit card, was reported stolen. The two also charged $27,000 to rent a $12 million vacation home, according to The San Francisco Chronicle. It's not entirely clear how the two teens were able to fool the unnamed rental car agency into releasing the car to them. Ironically, the arrest happened when Halaweh was leaving a court appearance for (surprise, surprise) credit card fraud, from an earlier incident in which he tried to use an illegally obtained card to purchase $10,000 from the Apple Store. Halaweh and Kahsay are now sitting in Sonoma County Jail, with bail set at $100,000 and $60,000, respectively, and are facing charges of credit card fraud and possession of stolen property. UPDATE: An official statement from Sia Bani, the president of Club Sportiva, the company that rented out the McLaren MP4-12C, has been released and is available below. Club Sportiva helps Santa Rosa police catch credit card thieves As many of you have read online, a repeat identity thief was recently caught in California with stolen credit cards in a McLaren MP4-12C. This was indeed one of Club Sportiva's vehicles. Club Sportiva filed a police report with the San Jose police department once discovering further issues with the claimed identity of the driver, and that led to the prompt arrest of both driver and passenger of the vehicle in Sonoma County. Club Sportiva's policy includes an age restriction to >25 years of age, with exceptions only made to entry level vehicles with an in-person interview with management, and a greater deposit, and only with a clear insurance background check. Our delivery team was provided fake identification and flags were only raised after further due diligence with the credit card company used for the "gifted" experience.

McLaren F1 designer Gordon Murray no fan of hybrid supercars

You'd think that the extreme performance, engineering and technology of hybrid hypercars like the McLaren P1, Ferrari LaFerrari and Porsche 918 Spyder would appeal to a guy like Gordon Murray. After all, the man behind the McLaren F1, the original hypercar, knows a thing or six about pushing the edge of the performance envelope with a new vehicle. The F1 came out over 20 years ago, but even then, it was exploring the limits of automotive technology. But if Murray were in the driver's seat today, he'd pass on all the F1-inspired trickery that's infiltrating the modern breed of supercars. Instead, as he tells Goodwood Road & Racing, he'd focus on building a "great driver's car" with "pure engineering." We aren't sure how Murray's engineering differs, or is purer, than the work done in Woking, Maranello and Zuffenhausen, but we suppose he's entitled to his opinions. Overall, the interview with GRR and Murray is a fascinating read into a man that has a very unique take on what a driver's car should be. Hop over and have a read. Featured Gallery 2015 McLaren P1: First Drive View 39 Photos Related Gallery McLaren F1 LM: Geneva 2013 View 14 Photos News Source: Goodwood Road & RacingImage Credit: Copyright 2014 Drew Phillips / AOL, Copyright 2014 Matt Davis / AOL Read This McLaren Coupe Performance mclaren p1 Gordon Murray

McLaren flanks upcoming new Sports Series

If you think major automakers like Volkswagen and General Motors have been making the most of their technologies, just look at McLaren. The British supercar constructor developed a carbon-monocoque chassis, 3.8-liter twin-turbo V8 and seven-speed dual-clutch transmission for the MP4-12C with which it launched in 2011, and has used those basic building blocks as the backbone for everything it's done since. Next up will be the new Sports Series, and what we're looking at here is our first glimpse at a completely undisguised body panel for that new model line. Granted there's not a whole lot to see from the teaser images above, but it does show us a substantial section of the vehicle's flank. Central to its profile is the side intake, which to our eye would seem to pay homage to its earlier logo – a streamline form of its original kiwi bird mascot – it used throughout the 1970s, much as the headlamps and other elements on the 650S and P1 take their inspiration from the company's current boomerang-shaped logo. The carbon accent flows from the front wheel well into the airtake aft of the door. Like the P1 but unlike the company's other supercars to date, the wing mirrors are fixed to the door rather than the window frame, and of course the whole thing is decked out in Woking's signature shade of orange. Beyond that, we'll have to wait... but not for much longer as McLaren is set to take the wraps off its new entry-level model in a few weeks' time at the New York Auto Show. That's when and where it will join the company's existing Super Series and Ultimate Series as McLaren's most accessible and highest-volume model line yet – what the company is referring as a defining or "Black Swan" moment. It'll be built around those same building blocks but with a detuned engine to take on the likes of the Audi R8 and Porsche 911 Turbo and GT3, coming in a variety of body-styles and states of tune. News Source: McLaren via Facebook McLaren Coupe Supercars 2015 ny auto show mclaren sports series