Tired of drowning in a sea of Mustangs at Cars ‘N Coffee? Seen so many Camaros that you have their tail lights memorized by year? We have the antidote. Come up with $229,000 and you can be the only kid on your block driving this 1995 De Tomaso Guarà coupe advertised here on craigslist. Ok, the hit to the wallet is a bit extreme, but this car is so weird it’s worth investigating. It’s a De Tomaso, spearheaded by the man himself to resuscitate a sports racer that was sidelined when Maserati was finally sold to FIAT – the Barchetta. With its mid-engine layout and race provenance, the Barchetta was meant to regenerate interest in Maserati after several years of lackluster product. Only 17 examples were ever constructed. De Tomaso was enamored of the project and thus took it up at his own company, creating a roadgoing version he called the Guarà. We owe thanks to Barn Finder Tony Primo for this exotic tip!

Designed by Carlo Gaino of Synthesis Design – as was the Barchetta – about fifty-three Guarà were produced from 1994 to 2004 when De Tomaso liquidated. The ladder chassis is honeycombed aluminum and the panels are composite. The first cars received BMW’s 4.0-liter M60B40 V8 from the 840Ci, rated at about 280 hp and mounted mid-ship. De Tomaso paired this with a Getrag six-speed manual. Don’t be planning on power steering or servo-assisted brakes; this thing is a race car. Oh, and that goes for luggage too, as there’s no space to put any. All these weight savings along with the impressive motor add up to a zero to sixty time of seven seconds. The factory claimed a top speed of 180 mph. But handling is twitchy, so beware!

The interior is mostly business, but the occupants are provided cushy seating at least. The odometer is digital and since this car is from somewhere in Europe (now residing somewhere on the “east coast” according to the seller), it reads in km. According to research, the pedals can be adjusted to suit the driver’s ergonomics; this car has standard seat belts but a six-point harness was optional.

The design is nothing if not controversial. While this one wears its original red paint, the seller indicates it is currently “wrapped in green”. My thought is, well, there’s green and then there’s green – what shade is it? No photos of its present appearance are included, so we don’t really know the state of the factory paint either. Meanwhile, values are all over the lot. A barchetta version – with no top or windshield – is for sale here at $425k. That’s an aggressive price, especially considering a year ago the same car sold at auction here for $230k, and this one is coming up at Bonhams for a similar price. If you need a coupe – wanting to avoid having to wear a helmet every time you drive your Guarà – you’ll have to wait, as there aren’t any in the market at the moment.