This supercar is a Formula 1 car for the freeway

MONTEREY, Calif. -- Drive down the freeway in a car that looks like it belongs at the head of the Formula 1 field?

Sure. Why not?

That's the basic idea behind the BAC Mono, a single-seat supercar that's officially meant for the track, but is capable of being modified for the street, according to Andrew Whitney, president of BAC North America. He was showing off a Mono last week at the Quail Motorsports Gathering at a golf course as part of Monterey Car Week.

The car, in which the driver sits in the middle, has no air conditioning, but then again, you don't need it: It has an open-air cockpit. There are also no cupholders or other creature comforts that most drivers demand these days.

"It's the antithesis of cupholders and compromise," Whitney says. "It makes real the dream of buying a Formula 1 car."

The car is powered by a Ford Duratec engine that's been modified by Cosworth. There is pneumatic-operated transmission for extra-quick shifts.

The price starts at about $230,000 in the U.S. and Whitney says 20 cars have been sold in the states so far.