V E C T O R

Vector was founded back in the Seventies by Gerald Wiegert to create the ultimate sportscar. The W8 was born, but there was lots controversy around this car, because Jerry wasn't an easy person to deal with. So the new management sacked him. The company was then owned by the same Indonesian consortium, which bought Lamborghini. Guess what came next: the Vector M12 with a Lambo V-12 engine.
In December 1996 Vector went bust again. In February 1997 the company, now headed by Mr. D. Peter Rose, announced that Tradelink International LTD will acquire controlling interest and "Vector Aeromotive Shifts Gears To Become A Major Player In Multi-Billion Dollar Luxury Lifestyle Products Industry" - as PRNewswire said.

More information:
another Vector site and a site of the German enthusiasts - added 15, February, 1998.

First the Vector W8:

Picture was taken from a Corel CD by Bolko Rawicz (brawicz@sfu.ca)

The plans were first outlined during the early seventies and the first proto- type was built in 1980. "I wanted to be a fighter pilot, but my eyesight's not good enough. So I decided to build a fighter plane for the street" - said Weightert to the American Automobile Magazine in 1990. With a 600+ bhp engine and a claimed 207 mph max. speed it wasn't a far cry. But there was no real money behind the car, so new management came in and soon Weiger was sacked.

Then came the Avtech WX-3 along:

The second picture was supplied by Alfredo Sarmiento Ascenzo (LastJedi@ix.netcom.com) who snapped it from the Road&Track America Online forum.

I think it's time to insert a part of an e-mail from John Doe.

The best thing about Vector was some of the people it used to hire and have as consultants. People that have been through those doors have designed such cars as the McLaren F1, Shelby Cobra, 935's, numerous Ferraris, BMWs, Indy, F1 cars, etc.
The worst thing about Vector is that management could never decide what to do with a car like this in a dwindling market, and the fact that Weigert hired morons to just answer yes to him and never improve the car. But it was a hell of publicity campaign while it lasted. You add it up, 15 years, 40-50 million dollars, and only 15 cars ever built. The original engine was a 6 liter V-8 with twin H-3 turbos. This engine was good for 600-620 HP max non emissioned, and 530-550 Hp max with 1992 emission standards.
The Vector could never do 207, and 250-260 is just ludicrous. A slippery Porsche 916 with 1200+ Hp could barely manage mid 240's. And the Vector has probably 50% more frontal area. Max velocity for the W-8 168 mph, period. Weigert would never change his brick-in-the-wind design, so the car was stuck with a .55 coefficient of drag (considering the average Kenworth in new plastic is a mere .43 cd).
The old W-8 and the WX-3/M12 prototype shown, have curb weights of 3700 lbs. The WX-3/M12 prototype which has been in Newsweek is an old W-8 prototype in some new glass with the same old V-8 engine and chassis, not a new car.

Tehnical specifications

Type	W-8	Avtech WX-3	M-12
Engine	Aluminium alloy V-8		V12 quad valve, DOHC, aluminum, mid longitudinal
Displacement	6.0 liters	7.0 liters	5.7liters (350 cu.in.)
Horsepower	600+ @ 5700 rpm	500-700 hp *	490+ bhp @ 6800 rpm
Torque	600+ lb ft @ 4900 rpm	800+ lb ft @ 4900 rpm	425+ lb ft @ 5200 rpm
Block design	Aluminium alloy block with replaceable cylinder liners, forged aluminium pistons, forged crankshaft and connecting rods.
Drivetrain
Transmission	Aluminium high performance clutches manual/ automatic, with ratchet shifter		5-speed manual
Body
Construction	Hybrid composite undirectional carbon, Kevlar and S-glass in epoxy resin matrix	Carbon fiber/ epoxy composite, nomex honeycomb core
Chassis
Construction	DOT-approved semi-monocoque aluminium structure, epoxy-bonded and riveted with aircraft fasteners, aluminium honeycomb floor panel, 4130 chrome moly tube steel roll cage.
Suspension
Front	Independent unequal length A-arms, cioncentric coil adjustable shock absorbers
Rear	DeDion tube with four trailing arms and lateral link, concentric coil adjustable shock absorbers.
Brakes	Formula 1 4-wheel ventilated discs, 13.0 in. diameter	ABS, 4-wheel ventilated discs, 13.5 in. diameter, 6-piston aluminium calipers
Instrumentation	Aircraft type menu-driven reconfigurable electroluminescent display monitoring all vital pressures and temperatures with both digital and analog display formals.
Wheels & tires
Wheels front/rear	3-piece modular, machined billet aluminium. 16x9.5 in./ 16 x 12.0 in.	18 x 9.5 in./ 18 x 12.0 in. (optional Bonneville discs).	cast aluminum. 8 x 18/ 12x18
Tires front/rear	Michelin XGT+ radial 255-45ZR16/ 315-40 ZR16	Michelin MXX3 radial 245-40ZR16/ 325-30 ZR18
Dimensions & Capacities
Wheelbase	2616 mm 103 in
Length	4369 mm 172 in	4673 mm 184 in
Width	1930 mm 76 in	2032 mm 80 in
Height	1080 mm 42.5 in
Track front/rear	1600 mm/ 1651 mm 63 in/ 65 in
Oil capacity	12 qts		17 quarts(16 liters)
Performance
Top speed			190+ mph
Acceleration 0-60 mph			Less than 4.5sec
Fuel
City			9 mpg
highway			13 mpg
combine			10 mpg

* I don't quote the out-of-this-world specifications of the TwinTurbocharged engine. I agree with John Doe, that they seem to be ridiculous.

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