2008 Dax Rush (De Dion)

Highlights

• Just 4,509 miles indicated from new

• In the same family since 2012

• Bike-carb ITBs and sports exhaust

• Indoor dry storage throughout its life

• Long MOT with no advisories

Overview

There's something rather special about a Dax Rush. The Harlow-built, Lotus Seven-inspired sports car has long held its place in the British kit-car pantheon, prized for a generous cabin that swallows drivers well over six feet tall, the buyer's choice of De Dion or IRS rear ends, and a famously catholic appetite for engines, accommodating everything from humble Pintos right up to 330 bhp Cosworth lumps for those who really want their hair set on fire.

But here's where this one parts company with the herd. G792SAA isn't just another Vauxhall-powered Seven-alike with a folder of receipts. It's the considered creation of a hobbyist whose joy, by all accounts, was in the construction itself rather than the driving. Ordered as a De Dion build pack from DJ Sportscars on the 11th of November 2005, it was formally SVA-approved on the 29th of November 2007 and first registered on the 18th of December that year. The V5C records four former keepers from new, with the vendor noting the car has been in their family across the two most recent ownerships, stretching back to 2012.

Open the bonnet and the evidence of a careful hand is everywhere. The 2.0-litre Vauxhall C20XE 'Redtop' was refreshed before fitment with new piston rings, end bearings, ARP conrod bolts, a fresh water pump and cambelt, plus a porous-head fix for good measure. SD1 motorcycle ITBs topped with mesh velocity stacks deliver the induction howl that's become a Rush signature, while a heat-wrapped four-into-one manifold, five-speed Ford Type 9 Granada gearbox, Sierra differential (which the vendor reports is a limited-slip unit) and adjustable coilovers complete a properly thought-through, rapid road set-up. Around 220 bhp is reported, pushing roughly 570 kg of car for a claimed sub-four-second 0-62 mph dash and the kind of bhp-per-tonne figure that quietly embarrasses far more expensive things.

Cosmetically, it's a lovely thing too. Deep candy red over chromed front suspension, a polished stainless rear hoop and Team Dynamics Motorsport alloys give it real visual punch. Inside, the leather contoured dash, full Smiths instrument set, Willans four-point harnesses, fully carpeted cockpit and bespoke colour-matched mohair half-doors make it more habitable than most. And here's the good news for whoever's next: there’s just 4,509 miles on the clock, indoor dry storage throughout, a battery tender over winter, and a generous spares package that includes unfitted carbon fibre rear-arch stone protectors and spare HT leads, alongside a box of oddments reported to contain an unfitted full LED light kit and touch-up paints.

In short, it’s a kit car that you can just go and enjoy.

History and documentation

• First registered 18 Dec 2007

• Original DJ Sportscars factory invoice IN213141 dated 11 Nov 2005, itemising the De Dion build packs, red colour surcharge, stainless rear hoop and chromed front suspension

• Typed engine specification letter detailing the Vauxhall XE refresh with new rings, bearings, sump gaskets, ARP conrod bolts, water pump, cambelt and porous head fix

• Multiple handwritten build cost ledgers totalling around £12,700, including powdercoated chassis, stainless steel header tank, full Smiths instrument set and rolling road tune

• VOSA SVA appointment letter dated 1 Nov 2007 and SVA/IVA certificate issued 29 Nov 2007

• Falcon MK2 Thatcham Category 2 immobiliser invoice from June 2006

• Retained factory DJ Sportscars Rush Assembly Guide

• Curated workshop library including Haynes manuals for the Ford Sierra, Vauxhall Astra/Belmont and Cavalier donors, plus Yamaha YZF-R1, Mazda MX-5, The Kit Car Manual and Four-Stroke Performance Tuning

• V5C confirms current keeper acquired the vehicle on 5 Apr 2022

• Two keys present

• HPI clear

• Current MOT expires 16 Apr 2027 with no advisories

• Spares package included with the sale: unfitted carbon fibre rear-arch stone protectors, spare HT leads, and a box of oddments reported to contain an unfitted full LED light kit and touch-up paints

• Current mileage is 4,509 miles

Interior

• The cockpit blends purposeful, exposed-engineering kit-car character with a higher level of finish than most, courtesy of the leather-trimmed contoured dash, red contrast stitching, full carpeting and lined panels

• Twin black leather sports bucket seats are in good order with light surface creasing consistent with age, and Willans four-point race harnesses are fitted on both sides

• Smiths analogue tachometer (0-8,000 rpm) and matching 160 mph speedometer sit in a leather-faced binnacle, with auxiliary Smiths clock, fuel and water-temperature gauges below

• A Mountney three-spoke leather steering wheel, chrome-topped gearknob on a leather gaiter and red column-mounted starter button complete the driver's environment

• Cabin amenities include a manual choke pull and polished alloy blanking plate, alongside a heater, demister and auxiliary radiator fan override switch

• All instruments, gauges and switchgear reportedly function correctly, with illuminated rocker switches in a polished alloy panel

• Light tarnish is visible to the chrome bezels of the gauges, and the alloy switch surround shows light surface scratching from use

• Footwell, transmission tunnel and bulkhead carpeting is clean and unmarked

• Mohair soft top is in place overhead and presents tautly fitted with no visible tears or sagging

• Behind the seats, the boot/stowage area is fully carpeted in black with a chromed roll bar/brace running across

Exterior

• Finished in deep candy red with chromed front suspension and a polished stainless rear hoop, giving real visual presence

• The vendor describes the car as being in very good condition for a nearly 20-year-old build, with very few small scratches and only very limited fibreglass crazing

• Spec highlights include twin LED angel-eye headlamps (E-marked and DfT compliant), chromed bullet wing mirrors, a polished side-exit stainless sports exhaust with heat-wrapped primaries, and a Union Jack decal on the offside rear wing

• Bodywork reflections are smooth and even with strong gloss to the candy red paint

• Faint surface swirl is visible on the underside curve of the offside front cycle wing, and a small contact wear mark sits on the leading edge of the front splitter consistent with the car's low ride height

• Team Dynamics Motorsport multi-spoke 17-inch alloys are fitted front and rear, with one or two centre caps that could do with touching up, and the vendor notes a kerb graze to the nearside front wheel that would benefit from minor cosmetic repair

• Toyo Proxes 205/40 R17 low-profile tyres are fitted with deep, fresh-looking tread

• Full mohair weather gear including bespoke colour-matched half-doors is included, and reportedly only ever used in the dry, save for the very occasional surprise shower

• Underbody views show the tubular spaceframe chassis and aluminium/composite undertrays in clean, dry condition with no signs of impact damage or active fluid leaks

Mechanical

• 1,998 cc Vauxhall C20XE 'Redtop' four-cylinder petrol engine reported to produce approximately 220 bhp

• Five-speed Ford Type 9 Granada manual gearbox driving the rear wheels via a Sierra differential, which the vendor reports is a limited-slip unit

• Claimed 0-62 mph in under four seconds, helped by a kerb weight in the region of 570 kg

• Induction is via SD1 bike-carb ITBs with mesh velocity stacks, exhaling through a heat-wrapped four-into-one tubular manifold and side-exit stainless sports exhaust

• Adjustable coilover suspension (currently set very low but adjustable up) and chromed tubular wishbones round out the chassis specification, alongside a reported lightened flywheel

• Reportedly starts first time on the manual choke, idles smoothly at around 600 rpm and meets MOT emissions without adjustment

• No untoward sounds or smoke from the engine according to the vendor, with pleasing pops and bangs on the overrun

• Front and rear disc brakes with refurbished calipers; brake fluid reservoirs present clean fluid within markings

• Yuasa motorcycle battery is fitted and kept on a tender over winter, with a new battery installed last year

• Most recent MOT pass on 17 Apr 2026 with zero advisories, valid until 16 Apr 2027

• Vendor reports no known mechanical faults and confirms nothing currently needs replacing

• Handling is described as cornering 'on rails', with the independent rear suspension riding well despite the low set-up

Summary

With around 220 bhp reported moving roughly 570 kg, a claimed sub-four-second 0-62 mph and a fresh MOT to April 2027 carrying no advisories, this Rush combines proper performance numbers with a degree of provenance that's unusually rare in the kit-car world. 

The original factory invoice, the SVA paperwork, the retained Assembly Guide and the donor-vehicle workshop library all add up to one thing: the Rush experience without the leap into the unknown. It's a connoisseur's build, kept indoors, kept in the family, and kept ready for its next chapter. Time, perhaps, for someone to do the bit the original builder (and, arguably, its subsequent keepers) didn't get round to, which is to actually drive it.

To arrange a viewing, click the 'Book Viewing' button located under the 'Place Bid' button. Viewings can be booked up until the day before the auction ends, after which the option will change to 'Contact Seller' for further enquiries. This seller is located in Bishops Stortford, Hertfordshire.