One Lap of the Web: Buy yourself a Bentley 4 1/4 Litre, A Futurliner car hauler and the TagAZ Aquila

-- Forget to get yourself a Christmas gift this year? Why not buy yourself a Bentley? Not all examples of the marque sell for six figures, especially if you look back a few decades into the past.

McLaren launches Special Operations unit for customers' custom requests

British sports-car maker McLaren has launched its Special Operations unit, which will help the company's well-heeled buyers customize their cars. McLaren previewed some handiwork from the new division at this year's Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, with a custom example of the MP4-12C. The customized sports car had a variety of carbon-fiber trim upgrades and special treatment such as unique orange paintwork, a gloss-black roof, diamond-cut-finish wheels with gloss-back inners, 12C-branded carbon sill panels, a carbon steering wheel and carbon-fiber cover vents for the engine.

Maserati GranCabrio at Frankfurt

Maserati will be launching the Maserati GranCabrio at Frankfurt It’s taken Maserati a year or three to cobble together the Convertible GranTurismo, but they’ve finally got there and the new car is Christened – The Maserati GranCabrio – and will launch at the Frankfurt Motor Show next month. Unlike its cousin the Ferrari California, the GranCabrio gets a folding rag-top instead of a tin-top, which should help keep the inevitable weight gains for a cabrio in check. But it’s still not going to be light at pushing on two tonnes.