1993 Vector WX-3 Coupe

This hand-built, audacious supercar is the only open-topped Vector ever made. Built by Jerry Wiegert's Vector Aeromotive Company, it was an ultra-ambitious attempt at building a 'fighter jet on four wheels.' Endowed with a plethora of aerospace technologies, the Vector was a revolutionary supercar from top to bottom.

The genesis of the Vector Automobile began in a small warehouse in Los Angeles' Venice neighborhood. The W2 prototype was built in the late 1970s and featured an angular design with a sloping hood and a steeply raked windshield. Motivated by a twin-turbo General Motors-sourced 350-cubic-inch V-8 engine paired with a three-speed automatic, the W2 made its debut as a non-running prototype at the 1976 Los Angeles auto show. A functional version followed in 1979.

The W2 that followed utilized the most advanced and groundbreaking construction techniques, technologies, and materials. The hand-built W8 had a 625 horsepower V8 engine that helped it reach 60 mph in just over four seconds, and the quarter mile was done in 12 seconds.

The success of the W8, with nearly two dozen examples built, inspired an equally impressive successor, with development beginning in 1991. The Avtech WX-3 Coupe Prototype, wearing a silver exterior, was unveiled in 1992 at the Geneva International Auto Salon. Continuing the W8's fighter jet-inspired design, the WX-3 coupe relied heavily upon aerospace industry technologies.

When Vector returned to Geneva in 1993, the completed WX-3 Coupe (now painted Aquamarine) was shown along with a WX-3R Roadster in Amethyst purple. Both Vectors had scissor-style doors and Rodeck twin-turbo V-8 engines positioned behind the passenger compartment.

Both the Coupe and the Roadster shared many characteristics, but the Roadster had an even sleeker design with a sharply angled windshield, lightweight side windows, and a lower rear spoiler than the coupe. The interior of the Roadster featured Recaro bucket seats while the coupe had a three-wide bench seat.

The all-aluminum, 6.0-liter Rodeck twin-turbocharged V-8 engine powering the Roadster was paired with a modified General Motors Turbo-Hydramatic 425 transmission. Top speed was estimated to be in excess of 200 mph.

At Geneva in 1993, Vector announced a price of $765,000 for the WX-3. Neither model would progress beyond the prototype stage, and the company soon faced a hostile takeover attempt by the Indonesian-government backed Megatech. A legal battle ensued, but in the end, Wiegert retained ownership of the WX-3 design and the two prototypes. Megatech would go on to create a Lamborghini Diablo-based M12 with styling influenced by the WX-3.

Both the coupe and roadster remained with Jerry Wiegert for over 25 years, and both saw limited use.

The 1993 Vector Avtech WX-3R Roadster Prototype
This odometer on the WX-3R shows in excess of 89,000 miles. It is believed that Mr. Wiegert programmed the high mileage as a show tactic for reliability during the car's debut in Geneva. The actual mileage is believed to be much lower.

In 2019, RM Sotheby's brokered the sale of both the coupe and roadster from Wiegart to a private US-based collector of vintage supercars. Since that time, the car received a comprehensive $116,000 suite of restoration work completed by Miller Motorcars of Greenwich, Connecticut.

By Daniel Vaughan | Nov 2024