The dream of founder Marv Spector is continue running land cruisers around the world.

There is a shop in California that continues to supply Land Cruiser parts to fans around the world, its name is "Specter Off-Road". Let's take a peek at their shop which celebrated its 36th year.

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It was in 1983 that Specter Off-Road was founded in Chatsworth town by a couple, Marv and Kay. Initially, their house's bedroom was a shop. The products are used LAND CRUISER parts. At that time, California was a mecca of off-road racing that had begun to flourish in the United States, and the business grew gradually, helped by the strong demand of Off-Roaders. They aimed to “deliver all replacement parts for the Land Cruiser to our customers, whether used or new”. But amount of the 40 series genuine parts was overwhelming, and the vehicle will be changed in 3 months. He said he realized it was impossible to stock. However, he collected all the models from the United States, tried out the parts that could be used at each production stage, and acquired enough knowledge to service the United States without importing everything.

Also, they visited Japan many times. They visited large and small companies, striving for a stable supply of parts, and returned the results to his fans as a product. The original catalog is packed with their experiences and knowledge. Every part, from the engine and drive train to the interior and exterior, was organized, introduced with drawings, and explained how to read so that anyone can order accurately. Their catalog included not only new, but also used, rebuilt, original, and aftermarket parts, was the fan's “treasure box”. The content increased year by year, and in the final issue before the web transition ('09), it was nearly 2 cm thick. When I first saw this book 20 years ago, I couldn't understand why a detailed parts catalog for Japanese cars was made in the United States. However, I was satisfied with this.

Marv was very fond of Japanese fire truck specification LAND CRUISER. The first one he got was 40 series in the lower right. He bought it because it was "too cool". They decided to take over another 40 series fire truck in the next year, and when he took it home, the frame number was a continuous number of the first fire truck, so they call it "Brother". The other is said to be stored elsewhere. Unfortunately, the founder, Marv Spector passed away in 2014, but Kay, who has been with him, has inherited his will and is still supplying parts to fans around the world. If you have a chance to go to California, please go to play. You should be able to feel the magnitude of their love for LAND CRUISER.

Author: Dai Kawamura
Land Cruiser Parts Shop PDF - PDF Format (requires Acrobat)


- Alejandro Tejero's Visit to Specter Off-Road - Spanish in PDF Format (requires Acrobat)
- SOR Japanese Magazine Appearences (Click to View)