Dare is a custom auto manufacturer based in the United Kingdom.
You're looking at one of their extremely limited production models.The seller states this is only one of 10 DZ models, the last convertible made, and the only DZ at all in the entire U.S.
There need to be more cars like this. The stats are impressive: 16-valve 4-cylinder Ford Ztec engine transversely mounted in the rear middle of the car, power to the rear wheels, four wheel disc brakes, 5-speed manual transmission, composite resin body with a steel tubeframe chassis, and a weight of only 1,477 lbs.
I have never driven one, nor will I probably ever. But there are a couple things one can deduce about this vehicle: 1) it accelerates superbly 2) handles superbly 3) is a whole lot of fun to drive.
Styling is pretty cool too. In the 1990s, designers for British car had a renaissance of sorts, when the hard angles of the 70s and 80s were out, and soft swoopy curves that British cars were famous for during the 50s and 60s were back in (this trend helped Jaguar cars look lovely once again).
How is this thing even here? U.S. customs only allows importation of vehicles 25 years and older. But the seller states it was issued a VIN by the Florida DMV, so it must be legitimate. The seller doesn't state whether it has a title. Since titles are transferable to any state, that's the key to making sure this can be registered and driven anywhere.
I have no idea what these cost when new, but this one is very close to new with only 3,700 miles on the clock. In addition, if to be believed, extremely few were made. This is not an everyday practical car (unless maybe in Southern California or Florida, where it is currently located), but it will turn heads on bright clear weekends.
Find it here on ebay in Zephyr Hills, Florida with a buy it now of $35,000.
Florida is known for being relatively easy to title and register questionable cars. There's been a number of listings on other sites for blatantly illegal cars that the Florida DMV titled and registered.
ReplyDeleteHaving a VIN on the car, or getting a title issued, doesn't mean the car is here legitimately. There's plenty of ways to do that. None of them legal.
If the new buyer lives in Florida, they'll probably be OK. If it's going out of state, the new owner won't know until they try to title and register it.