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1993 Vector W8

Vector Aeromotive manufactured a limited number of vehicles throughout its short tenure, yet it left a significant and enduring impact, successfully realizing founder Jerry Wiegert's highly ambitious vision of creating a 'fighter jet on four wheels.' The handcrafted supercars represented a groundbreaking advancement in every aspect, incorporating innovative construction techniques, elevated quality standards, modern production methods and materials, as well as a variety of aerospace technologies.

The W2 ('W' for Wiegert and '2' for the number of turbochargers) prototype was conceived by Wiegert in a small warehouse in Los Angeles, California, in the late 1970s. He had just graduated from college and founded a design house called Vehicle Design Force. Joined by auto body expert Lee Brown, they created a new car called The Vector, which was featured on the cover of Motor Trend magazine in April 1972. A non-running concept prototype was shown several years later, in 1976, at the LA Auto Show. In 1979, a functional model was constructed, showcasing the design and engineering expertise of the team, as well as their capability to develop a vehicle of supercar caliber.

Having renamed 'Vehicle Design Force' as 'Vector Aeromotive,' production of the W2 commenced in 1990. The W2 had been driven over 100,000 test miles, and numerous improvements to the car's styling and technology were implemented. The W8 was the beneficiary of these upgrades, boasting modern aesthetics and a host of groundbreaking technologies and components.

Chassis

The Vector W8 received a semi-aluminum monocoque chassis was epoxy bonded and riveted with an aluminum honeycomb structure floor pan. It had a 103-inch wheelbase, an overall length of 172 inches, a width of 76 inches, and stood 42.5 inches tall. At the front was a double A-arm suspension while the rear used a De Dion tube located by four trailing arms. Koni adjustable shocks, with concentric springs, were used front and rear, along with 13-inch vented discs with Alcon aluminum 4-piston calipers. The wide wheels were wrapped with special Michelin XGT Plus tires that measured 255/45ZR-16 at the front and 315/40ZR-16 at the rear.

The lack of power-assisted steering and anti-lock brakes helped keep the curb weight to a minimum.

Engine and Transmission

The Vector W8 had a rear transverse mid-engine placement with power sent to the rear wheels. The engine was a Rodeck aluminum resleevable 365 cu in (6.0 L) competition engine with a dry-sump oiling system, stainless-steel valves, Carrillo stainless-steel connecting rods, forged pistons, a forged crank, and roller rocker arms. With assistance from a pair of intercooled Garrett turbochargers, the engine produced an advertised 620 horsepower at 5,700 RPM and 650 lb-ft of torque at 4,900 RPM with 8 PSI of boost pressure. The driver could adjust the boost pressure between 8 and 14 psi, with the peak recorded engine output of 1,2000 bhp on maximum boost.

The engine was paired with a modified Turbo-Hydramatic 425 General Motors three-speed automatic.

Body

Lightweight carbon fiber and Kevlar were the primary materials used for the body. Its design was courtesy of Wiegert and David Kostka, and inspired by the Alfa Romeo Carabo. Like many supercars of the era, it had a wedge-shaped design, with the front reaching towards the ground. It had a steeply raked windscreen, scissor doors, and a rear-mounted wing.

The W8 generated a skidpad acceleration of 0.97g. In its most refined shape, benefitting from aerodynamic and styling improvements carefully implemented throughout its development lifespan, the W8 had a drag coefficient of 0.32. Updates bestowed upon the W8 included adjustments of the rear wing, mirror intakes, and front grill, along with a lower front fascia and air splitter, and the removal of some of the gills. Early examples had a removable glass roof, but this feature was abandoned in later examples due to buffeting that occurred at extreme speeds.

Interior

The cockpit continued the aerospace theme with a digital computer screen, Recaro Classic (Electrically adjustable) seats, digital climate control, and numerous instruments highlighted by an Airpath compass and Hobbs hours counter. The seats were upholstered in leather and suede, and the carpeting and floor mats were of wool.

The driver seat was positioned slightly towards the center of the car for improved vision and drivability.

Performance

The projected top speed of the Vector W8 was 242 mph (389 km/h), and zero-to-sixty mph took a factory-claimed 3.9 seconds. Road & Track tested the W8 and reported a 0-60 mph acceleration time of 4.1 seconds and estimated the top speed to be 218 mph.

Production

Before Vector was forced into receivership in 1993, a total of seventeen customer cars and two pre-production cars rolled out of the company's Wilmington, Los Angeles factory. Prior to production, the W8 successfully passed DOT crash tests, as well as emissions tests.

The company's demise was due to a lack of funding, a plethora of competition from other supercar manufacturers, issues with emissions compliance, and an economy that made ownership of a supercar unobtainable by most. The negative publicity of tennis star Andre Agassi and his W8 tarnished the company's reputation when he returned his for a refund after the rear carpeting burned due to a hot exhaust system. Car and Driver published less-than-flattering findings of the W8, after all three cars provided broke down in different ways. The road tests performed by Road & Track did not experience any problems, and their review was positive.

Vector had orders for 30 cars, but they were unable to build them until the W8 passed emissions testing, which did not happen until mid-1991. By that point, the company had laid off 50 of its 80 employees.

Production of the W8 ceased in 1993 following a hostile takeover by the primary shareholder, Megatech. Two years later, Megatech began production of the M12.

Wiegert sued Megatech and won back the design copyrights, equipment, and remaining unsold cars.

Successor : the Avtech WX-3

The Avtech WX-3 was intended to replace the W8, but ultimately, only two examples were ever constructed. The WX-3 never made it past the prototype stage.

by Dan Vaughan

Coupe
Chassis number: 1V9VW2620DPW048016

The Vector Aeromotive Corporation based in Los Angeles, California, was founded in 1989 by auto-designer Gerald Wiegert with the clear intent of creating a new production street-legal supercar. With the aid of David Kostka, head of engineering, the prototype Vector W2 was built, but by 1993 only 17 cars had been produced. The Vector W8 ran a 6.0-liter Rodeck twin-turbocharged V8 engine, with a three-speed transmission enveloped within an aluminum honeycomb monocoque body with carbon fiber and Kevlar panels. With its scissor doors and precise styling, the car was popular, but Wieart failed to raise funding, and sadly, the company closed its doors in 1993.

This car was the penultimate example built and the only silver Vector W8 ever made. It remains unrestored and original.

'America's Forgotten Supercar' according to Motor Trend, the Vector W8 featured a radical semi-monocoque aluminum chassis with aggressive bodywork, a cockpit that seemed like it came straight from an airplane, and bar graph instrumentation. A true supercar, the Vector W8 was introduced in 1990 by Vector Aeromotive Corporation and designed by Gerald Wiegert and David Kostka. Produced until 1993 the W8 was created with the newest and most advanced aerospace materials, which was justified by the Corporation with the term 'Aeromotive Engineering.' During the life of the company, only 22 units were produced, with just 19 of these being W8's, and two prototypes Avtech AWX3 and AWX3R.

The W8 was the replacement of the earlier W2 and featured a semi-aluminum monocoque chassis that was epoxy bonded and riveted with an aluminum honeycomb floorplan. 5,000 aircraft specification rivets were used in the W8's assembly. The W8 was created to withstand the test of time and last the life of the owner, reliably. The body of the W8 was composed of lightweight carbon fiber and Kevlar, which was known for its lightness and strength.

The interior of the W8 was incredibly modern for 1992 and included leather-wrapped seats with serious bolsters with the necessary controls built directly onto them. (This feature was a necessity since the cockpit didn't have a center console.) The W8 also came with a 10-disc CD changer and a stereo system.

The W8 had a 2-speed automatic that could be easily shifted like a manual when desired and the gear selector was mounted to the left of the driver. The W8 featured an electroluminescent display that monitored the vehicle's vital systems with an enormous amount of switches and buttons that turned the interior into an airplane-like cockpit with reconfigurable displays. The W8's side mirrors were oriented in a downward direction to that the well-engineered beltline remained unaltered. The aerodynamic drag-reducing tricks were one of the main reasons this amazing car was able to reach a top speed of over 200 mph.

Compared to its competitors, the W8 was a worthy adversary and based around a Rodeck re-sleeved, modified Chevrolet 350 ci (5.7 L) V8 racing engine mated to a custom three-speed transmission. Producing an advertised 650 bhp (485 kW) at 5700 rpm and 649 lb/ft of torque on 8 pounds of boost and the engine had twin turbochargers. Between 8 and 14 pounds during dyno testing at the factor, the boost levels were driver-adjustable and the engine put out 1200 bhp at 14 pounds of boost.

Riding on a 103.0-inch wheelbase, the W8 had a front track of 63.0 inches, a rear track of 65.0 inches, an overall length of 172 inches, a width of 76 inches, and a height of 42.5 inches. Able to achieve 0-60mph in just 4.2 seconds, the Vector W8 had a top speed of more than 220 mph, at a time with Ferrari and Lamborghini were struggling to hit more than 200 mph. Testing at the Bonneville Salt Flats with the W-2 prototype yielded a top speed of 242 mph with the less powerful Donovan block, according to Top Wheels magazine.

During the production run, the W8 design underwent minor updates to the body that made the first car off the line slightly different from the final car. These modifications included the elimination of some gills, an updated rear wing, a low front fascia, an air splitter, modified mirror intakes, and front grille. Once the top speed testing was completed, production W8's weren't fitted with a removable glass roof anymore since extreme speeds caused buffeting. In March 1991 and August 1992 Road & Track magazine published tests of the W8 and remarked favorably on the car declaring it the fastest production car in the world, outperforming Lamborghini, Ferrari, and a variety of other exotic early 1991 supercars. The McLaren F1 is the only supercar to outperform the W8.

The W8 came with a hefty price tag of $448,000 new, though it was initially promised at around $225,000. The Vector W8 was one of the most expensive vehicles on the road by the time the car reached customers. In today's used market they could sell from $389,000 to $1.4 million depending on the vehicle's condition. Sales were slow and the unfortunate press from the Andre Agassi story (where he wasn't supposed to drive a pre-production model and did, which led to an overheating car, negative publicity, and a full refund for Agassi) negatively impacted the Vector W8. The Vector struggled for several more years until it went out of production after a reported 19 models were made, 17 customer cars, and two pre-production test vehicles.

Plans were made to succeed the W8 with the AWX-3 and AWX-3R, which stood for Avtech Wiegert Experimental, 3rd generation, and R for Roadster. But unfortunately for Vector, the series production never materialized due to boardroom power struggles, inadequate capitalization, and a painful recession, and production of the W8 halted in 1993 during a hostile takeover by Megatech. Wiegert did win back the design copyrights, equipment, and remaining unsold vehicles, however. The new parent company Megatech LTD began production of their first car, the M12 in 1995 after the hostile takeover.

A red Vector W8's made its official TV debut in episode 15 of the 1990 tv series The Flash. A red 1991 W8 was used in the 1993 movie Rising Sun, and also appears in the video game Grand Turismo 2.

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vector_W8

http://www.petrolicious.com/why-you-should-care-about-the-insane-vector-w8

http://www.topspeed.com/cars/vector/1992-vector-w8-ar943.html#main

http://www.rmauctions.com/lots/lot.cfm?lot_id=568153

by Jessican Donaldson