Eccentric caring about Republican's fast vehicle (6,3)
I believe the answer is:
racing car
'vehicle' is the definition.
(racing car is a kind of vehicle)
'eccentric caring about republican's' is the wordplay.
'eccentric' indicates an anagram.
'about' becomes 'ca' (abbreviation for 'circa').
'republican' becomes 'R' (political abbreviation).
'caring' with letters rearranged gives 'racing'.
'racing'+'ca'+'r'='RACING-CAR'
'fast' is the link.
(Other definitions for racing car that I've seen before include "Vehicle designed for speed" , "Sports vehicle" , "Ferrari, for example" .)