The design incorporated elements from the famous sports cars of the time such as the Lamborghini Countach, the Jaguar XJR-15 and the Ferrari 288 GTO.
[1] A take-over by the American company Spectre Motors Inc. led by GT Development's former sales agent Anders Hildebrand in March 1995, brightened the possibility of the R42 going into production.
Quality issues would suffice and the choice of fibreglass over the originally planned carbon fibre along with poor fit and finish resulted in negative reviews.
The automotive press also reprimanded the practice of borrowing parts from other cars for an expensive sports car (the R42 utilised the Toyota MR2's front indicators and door handles; Honda Legend's tail lamps and interior parts from the Ford Fiesta) along with the controversial rear design which incorporated a lot of cooling vents.
Two prototypes were developed and the second prototype (finished in yellow colour) was presented at the 1997 London Motor Show by actor Desmond Llewellyn with the production version scheduled to debut at the 1998 London Motor Show but the absence of sufficient funds for the car's development and other losses led the company into receivership.
The interior had anti-glare Alcantara combined with the leather upholstery and custom made gauges with the speed-o-meter reading 322 km/h (200 mph).
The 4.6-litre V8 engine used in the road car was modified to generate a power output of 600 PS (441 kW; 592 hp) and was mated to a 6-speed sequential manual transmission.
[3] The R42 had a starring role in the 1997 Ian Sharp film "RPM" where it plays the prototype eco-friendly sports car that leading actor David Arquette has to steal.