Heads will turn when this superb little car goes on show at the British International Motor Show, at Birmingham, from tomorrow to November 1.

The West-Mersea-made Dare DZ comes in two equally startling designs - the gullwing coupe and the convertible.

Ivor Walklett, drector of Dare UK, of Prince Albert Road, West Mersea, and its chief designer, said it was primarily the look and style of the car that drove the team to come up with the design.

"We wanted to make a radical design that would make an impact on the market," he said.

"We wanted something new and this is a crowd gatherer - there is no doubt about that."

Ivor and his brother Trevers are no strangers to developing ground-breaking designs.

They co-founded Ginetta Cars, which produced a series of successful sports cars.

The front-mounted wings and exposed wishbone suspension give the car the appearance of something more usually associated with Silverstone than the Strood - Mersea's causeway link to the mainland.

Unlike many concepts in the motor industry, Mr Walklett insisted the finished product was pretty much as he dreamt it.

There is a chance some may have already caught a glimpse of the DZ during clandestine test drives on the streets of Essex under the veil of darkness.

"We have driven it a lot at night around Essex," said Mr Walklett.

"I expect some people have picked it out in their headlights."

It has also been tested in Mersea on the basis that if it is on the road for ten minutes, not many would see it.

With a price range of £22-26,000, the DZ is a comparatively accessible sports car and it is hoped it will initially prove a hit with the British and the Japanese.

Powered by a two-litre Ford Zetec engine, the DZ can get up to 60mph in 4.7 secs and the supercharged version has a top speed of 145mph.

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.