Specifications Engine: Cooper S 1.3 ltr… Front mounted Length: 3970mm Width: 1580mm Height: 1060mm Wheelbase: 2380mm Track: 1330mm Brakes: Disc Front/Drum Rear Seating: 2+2 Kerb Weight: ??kg

The Spectre was originally built in 1975 by Rohan Ash of Auckland and was one of two cars built by him and a friend. The car is inspired by the 1968 Alfa Romeo Carrabo concept car but never intended to be an accurate copy. The second car is now somewhere in Australia and has vanished from sight while Rohan’s car was used for everyday transport for almost twenty years and was a familiar sight on Auckland motorways. Based on a humble Austin 1300 floor pan with Hydralastic suspension with a steel reinforced fiberglass body it did its commuting tasks more than adequately. Performance is enhanced from an Australian sourced Cooper S that allows the car to reach speeds of 215 kmh at Pukekohe.

By 1993 the car was starting to look tired so Rohan took it off the road intending to do it up. By 2003 the car was still where he left and looking even more tired so the car was offered to Southwards Museum for their collection in the hope that they would restore it. When Southwards saw it they decided it was not the sort of car that they were interested in so along came Garth Stevenson who is a very experienced car builder. He has had a picture of the Carrabo on his shed wall for twenty years and this was too good an opportunity to pass up. His intention is to upgrade the car with a glass windscreen as he does the restoration.