Selling six-figure supercars like the McLaren MP4-12C might sound easy. Just find a few hundred rich guys who are bored with thier F430s and you're done right? Problem is, you can't exactly sell them mail order, you need dealers, and persuading dealers to make a long-term commitment to a one model lineup isn't easy.

McLaren is finding this out the hard way as it's having trouble setting up a U.S. dealer network to sell its new MP4-12C supercar. The company originally planned to bring the car to the L.A. Auto Show in December for a U.S. debut, but it's now pulled out of the show. At this point it's looking like the MP4 won't arrive in the States until sometime in mid-2010. Ferrari probably isn't disappointed in the development.

Yesterday, Edmunds released an analysis of the Cash for Clunkers program. It concluded that apiece car purchased under the program cost the taxpayers roughly $24,000. You can read the full release here to see how we arrived at that number.

Well, it appears as though the White House doesn't like people going around calling its programs expensive. "This is the latest of several critical 'analyses' of the Cash for Clunkers program from Edmunds.com, which appear designed to grab headlines and get coverage on telegram TV. Like many of their previous attempts, this latest claim doesn't withstand even basic scrutiny," it wrote on the official White House blog.

We have, of course, responded. Decide for yourself who's right here, we know where we stand.

Edmunds: Cash for Clunkers Results Finally In, Taxpayers Paid $24,000 Per Vehicle Sold

White House Blog: Busy Covering Car Sales on Mars, Edmunds.com Gets it Wrong Again

CNN Money: Taxpayers paid $24,000 per car
 

Let's be clear about something here: The CTS-V Challenge was not, strictly a clean race. It was a publicity stunt. Cadillac acknowledges this. Still, as a publicity stunt, it was a hell of a lot more fun than basically every other car-maker publicity stunt we've attended.

And it's a stunt that a young guy, who claimed to be a Skip Barber school graduate but not a racer, won in his BMW M3. His fast lap of 2:50:424 was the fastest single lap of any driver that wasn't a ringer (Heinricy, Link and Redman). No other CTS-V could touch him.

Here, for the record, are the final lap times of the day:

Mystery Driver (Johnny O'Connell), CTS-V, ringer, 2:45:537

John Heinricy, CTS-V, ringer, 2:46:560

Aaron Link, CTS-V, ringer, 2:48:902

Brian Redman, CTS-V, ringer, 2:49:596

Michael Cooper, BMW M3, private owner, 2:50:424

Jack Baruth, CTS-V, journalist, 2:51:153

Lawrence Ulrich, CTS-V, journalist, 2:53:157

Bob Lutz, CTS-V, The Bob, 2:56:321

Michael Mainwald, BMW M5, private owner, 3:05:398

Wes Siler, Mitsubishi Evo, journalist, 3:08:126

Chris Fairman, CTS-V, private owner, 3:14:292

Archan Basu, Jaguar XF, private owner, 3:15:670

Tom Loder, Audi RS4, private owner, 3:15:702

So after the official event was over, a silver CTS-V circled the track stupid fast and occasionally sideways. He was listed on the timing and scoring screen as "Mystery Driver." Very intriguing, no?

Who was this man who posted a fastest lap of 2:45:537? Was it Cadillac's Stig? Well, sort of.

Speed TV was out filming the days event for an upcoming program with a full crew. Yes, there was a helicopter involved. Seems the folks at Speed wanted to have a little extra angle on this event since it's been blogged to death already (trust us, we know). So they brought their own driver and refused to say who it might be. But to beat Heinricy, he'd have to be a pro.

That cover was a bit blown when we saw Corvette racer Johnny O'Connell travel out of Monitcello in a 'Speed" racing suit.

"Nice driving, Johnny," we say.

"Oh thanks, that was fun."

No surprise here: Professional racer and retired GM engineer, John Heinricy posted the day's fastest lap at 2:46:560.

This knowledge is useful mostly for getting an intent of how fast a CTS-V is capable of running here at Monticello. Do not, however, compare that lap time (nor that of the other GM ringer), to the laps posted by the privately owned BMWs, Jag and Audi. Those were more-or-less average guys that happen to own fast cars, not professional drivers.

Well, the put-up or shut-up moment has now passed for 77-year-old Lutz and, well, he didn't win. He posted a quite respectable 2:56:321. That was enough to blow away the privately owned BMW M5 (3:05:395) but the range of track-driving experience here today is huge. So we hesitate to read too much into those relative times.

Lutz was about 7 seconds behind GM development engineer and Nurburgring veteran, Aaron Link. He was about 5 seconds slower than the one early CTS-V driven by journalist Jack Baruth. Lutz also trailed the BMW M3 by about 5.5 seconds.

Lutz was driving a CTS-V with an automatic. Link drove a CTS-V with a manual transmission.

You didn't actually think that General Motors was going to allow some kid from Long Island embarrass them at their own party did you? You were right to think that way.

The company's first real ringer, engineer Aaron Link, took the track in a CTS-V manual in group 3 and ran a 2:48:902, nipping the M3 by about 2 seconds. The privately owned M5 wasn't really in the hunt with a 3:05:395.

The privately owned BMW M3 is still the fastest car on the track after the second group of cars took their five laps.

The Mitsubishi Evo, driven by Jalopnik.com staffer Wes Siler, posted a 3:08:126. The privately owned CTS-V trailed him, posting a 3:14:292. And the Audi RS4, also a privately owned car, turned in a 3:15:702. None are close to the 2:50:424 posted by the young M3 driver.

But the fast guys, including at least three GM ringers, as well as Bob Lutz, are still to come.

The timed laps have begun here at Monticello and the fastest lap of the first session of three cars goes to not the journalist-driven CTS-V or, predictably, the Jaguar XF, but to the BMW M3 driven by owner Michael Cooper of Long Island.

Cooper, who has had all of five years with a driver's license ordered down an impressive 2:50:424. The CTS-V automatic driven by Jack Baruth recorded a best lap of 2:51:153. The Jag pulled up the rear at 3:15:670.

Nice work by the young Mr. Cooper. Three more heats to go, including the heavy-hitter fourth heat.

Cadillac has broken the drivers into four groups for this afternoon's timed laps. So let's have a look. Lutz? Right. The dude who owns the M3 (Michael Cooper of Long Island)? Right.

Link? Who's that? He's one of GM's resident hot-shoe engineers. Heinricy? That's right Cadillac's eventual ringer is in — no surprise — the last group, just in case. And who is this Redman. Oh, that would be Brian Redman, legendary road racer and Grand Marshall of Monticello. He'll also be in a CTS-V.

Good to have the home-field advantage, eh? If you place away the competition portion of this challenge, something that's cushy to do in this convivial atmosphere, it will be nice to see how quickly a pro driver gets around the course in the V.