For those who hanker for a swoopy exotic sports car but can’t come up with the six-figure price tag, here’s something completely different that could scratch that itch.
The Pick of the Day is a 2002 La Forza Spyder, essentially a fiberglass mid-engine car hand-built on a tube-frame chassis and powered by a Cadillac Northstar V8. Weird but interesting.
This Pick might be a reach since I’ve never heard of the La Forza (not to be confused with the Laforza luxury SUV of the 1980s, or the Verdi opera, La Forza del Destino) and I couldn’t find any pertinent information via Google. Even the seller, a car dealer in St. Charles, Missouri, seems confused; the headline of the listing on ClassicCars.com calls the car a “2002 Unspecified, Unspecified.”
The Spyder’s super-sized rear spoiler is somewhat disturbingWith just 31,289 miles showing on the odometer, the La Forza is ready to roll, the dealer says. The asking price seems about right at just $29,995 for what the dealer says is a one-of-a-kind sports car that took five years to build. The photos show an apparently well-finished interior, and the under-hood shots look clean.
Performance should be impressive with the aluminum Northstar engine, a well-regarded 32-valve V8 that creates 300 horsepower, which is linked with an automatic transmission. The details of the build, according to the listing, include coilover front suspension, four-wheel disc brakes, Cadillac instrument cluster and engine-management system, racing bucket seats, suicide doors, Momo steering wheel, Jensen AM/FM/cd stereo, backup camera, plexiglass engine cover, 17-inch MSW wheels, stainless exhaust and a removable hardtop.
The mid-engine styling is kind of cool-looking in the photos, aside from that gigantic wing on its tail that looks more like a picnic table than an air foil. Good thing a backup camera is included.
One critical question: does this thing have headlights? Oh wait, that must be them integrated with the rearview mirrors. As I said, weird.
But as the seller notes, the La Forza should be a real head turner “that will draw more attention than you could ever ask for.” Just have a good explanation ready when folks wander over and ask, “What is it?”
To view this listing on ClassicCars.com, see Pick of the Day
This car is all over the net and at vastly different prices. Here it is for $18,000: http://classiccarslist.com/replica-and-kit-makes/12936-2002-laforza-spyder-convertible-one-of-a-kind-sport-car-only-one-ever-built.html