Metal ring Desert Fox left out in sports car (7)
I believe the answer is:
grommet
'sports car' is the definition.
The answer and definition can be both man-made objects as well as being singular nouns.
Maybe they are linked in a way I don't understand?
'metal ring desert fox left out in' is the wordplay.
'metal ring' becomes 'gt' (I can't explain this - if you can you should give a lot more credence to this answer).
'desert fox' becomes 'rommel' (I've seen this in another clue).
'left' becomes 'L' (common abbreviation).
'out' is a deletion indicator.
'in' indicates putting letters inside.
'rommel' with 'l' removed is 'romme'.
'gt' enclosing 'romme' is 'GROMMET'.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for grommet that I've seen before include "Ring shaped to line a small hole" , "Ring of rope or metal" , "insulation device" , "Ring for hole - tube for eardrum" , "Eyelet lining a small hole" .)