Spectre R42: the British GT40 for the 1990s

The Spectre R42 was a two-seater, mid-engined sports car from the British boutique maker Spectre Supersports Ltd. Designed by Ray Christopher as a modern interpretation of the Ford GT40, it reached production in Poole, Dorset, in 1995 and was sold for £70,000. Just 23 road cars were built before the company ran out of money.

Spectre R42 at a glance

based on one source

History of the Spectre R42

A GT40 for the 1990s

The R42 was the idea of Ray Christopher, whose GT Development firm was known for accurate replicas of the Ford GT40. He wanted a car of his own in the spirit of the GT40, a machine that could win at Le Mans as the original had done. The layout, proportions and updated monocoque construction followed the GT40 closely. The name was a tribute as well: the GT40 stood 42 inches tall, and the R was for Ray. The shape borrowed details from the Lamborghini Countach, the Jaguar XJR-15 and the Ferrari 288 GTO, and with a drag coefficient of Cd 0.28 it was claimed to be the best in its class.

Show car and receivership

Development began in late 1992. A scale model was built for wind-tunnel testing and a running prototype followed. The R42 was first shown at the London Motor Show in October 1993, but the cost of the programme and the recession of the early 1990s pushed the company into receivership before production could start.

Production in Poole

In March 1995 the American Spectre Motors Inc., led by Anders Hildebrand, a former sales agent for GT Development, bought the rights to the car for US$2.5 million. Production started four months later in a 12,000 sq ft works in Poole, with each car taking about 2,000 man hours. Hildebrand reorganised the operation, brought in investors and made the racing driver Derek Bell chairman and development consultant. He also launched the ALCO-Spectre racing programme, which produced the R42 GTR. The company sold the R42 at £70,000 apiece, but managed only 23 cars, most of them for Switzerland. Buyers and the press criticised the fibreglass body where carbon fibre had been promised, the fit and finish, and the visible borrowing of parts from cheaper cars. Hildebrand then planned a more powerful R45; two prototypes were built and the yellow second one was shown at the 1997 London Motor Show by the actor Desmond Llewellyn, but the money ran out and the company went into receivership again.

Design and features

• Ford V8 power: the all-aluminium 4.6-litre V8, shared with the Mustang Cobra and with four valves per cylinder, gave 355 PS and 430 N·m.
• Composite structure: an aluminium honeycomb monocoque with a tubular steel space frame and a fibreglass body kept the weight at about 1,550 kg.
• Serious chassis: OZ 17-inch wheels, 235/45 ZR17 tyres at the front and 335/35 ZR17 at the rear, AP Racing ventilated discs and race-style independent suspension with adjustable Spax dampers.
• Parts-bin cabin: walnut trim and Wilton carpets came with borrowed Ford Fiesta vents and switches, and the gauges read to 322 km/h.

Spectre R42 versions

• R42 road car: the standard 355 PS coupé with a five-speed Getrag transaxle.
• Six-speed cars: a six-speed transmission was offered as an option.
• R42 GTR: the racing version shown at the 1996 London Motor Show, with a 600 PS version of the V8, a six-speed sequential gearbox and a weight of 1,000 kg. It was built to FIA rules for GT racing and Le Mans, but the company’s finances ended the programme before it raced.
• R45: the planned replacement, of which two prototypes were built, one of them shown in 1997.

The R42 was one of the small British supercars of its era; more cars from the marque are in the Spectre collection.

Video: Walkaround of a rare Spectre R42 S

Video on YouTube.

Sources

• Spectre R42, English Wikipedia: history, specification, racing version