Vehicle Description
Chassis No. 1V9VW2629PW048001
The 1980s represented a time of conspicuous consumption and the
automotive industry was no different. The decade represented
possibly the boldest period in modern fashion history, a wondrous
era of over-the-top silhouettes, teased perms, saturated colors,
and power suits. Perhaps nothing else captures that ethos more than
automobile design and associated advertising. One only has to look
at the radical enhancements to the Lamborghini Countach and the
release of the Ferrari Testarossa among others. Vector, founded in
the late 1970s by Gerald "Jerry" Wiegert, had no intention of
falling in line with the storied European manufacturers and
referred to itself not as an automaker but as the Vector Aeromotive
Corporation.
Vector Design Force, as it was originally known, was founded on one
principle - producing groundbreaking supercars and eclipsing the
old guard at the highest levels. It would take nearly a decade of
time and ambition from Wiegert until the company would make good on
its claims. With a name change to Vector Aeromotive, production
finally commenced in 1989 with the company's debut model, the W8.
Aptly named W, after the company founder, and 8 for the number of
cylinders, it was very much America's first supercar, one whose
styling equally shocked and enthralled inside and out. This
demonstration of American entrepreneurial drive carried a price tag
of almost $500,000, a sum virtually unheard of at the time.
A highly modified twin-turbo Chevrolet V8 producing 650 horsepower
was coupled to an automatic TM425 Transaxle with claimed
performance resulting in a run from zero-to-sixty mph in 4.2
seconds and a projected top speed of 242 miles per hour. While
there is no evidence a W8 was fully tested, these projected
performance figures are core to the legend surrounding Vector as a
company. While many doubted Vector's ability to produce road-legal
W8, quite remarkably 20 W8s were ultimately produced . After all,
the difference between a car made purely for show and a fully
serialized road car is quite an accomplishment. Tennis great Andre
Agassi is perhaps the most famous of these original owners. Eager
to receive his spaceship for the road, he famously insisted on
taking delivery of a car, said to be a pre-production model, before
it was fully ready.
With plenty of publicity, Wiegert and Vector would arrive at the
1992 Geneva Motor Show with something entirely new. The Avtech WX-3
prototype previewed the company's next production car. Painted
silver for the 1992 display, it was a pure showpiece lacking any
kind of powertrain, yet it was a sign of what was to come, catching
the automotive world by storm. Boasting a body made of carbon fiber
and Kevlar construction the WX-3 was more streamlined than its
predecessor. The car was now sporting a very period-appropriate
pop-up headlights with a more aerodynamically curved front profile,
and a seemingly impossibly raked, almost flat windshield. Inside
the interior was updated to a three-abreast bench configuration
that was trimmed in black leather with teal green inserts. The
Aeromotive influence continued with the same cockpit-style layout
of interior gauges and switchgear. Now with a more conventional
toggle switch layout, the same fighter jet-sourced display from the
W8 remained to serve as the dash display.
Following the 1992 Geneva display the WX-3 would once again return
to the Vector stand in 1993, but this time with even more to
present. In the year since its debut, Vector returned to California
and successfully installed a twin-turbo Rodeck 7.0-liter, 1,000
horsepower V8 behind the passenger compartmeny. The car was
repainted the Brilliant Aquamarine it wears today, a choice made in
an apparent nod to Wiegert's Aquajet jet-ski company logo and one
that suits the car extremely well.
Importantly for this unicorn of automotive and American supercar
history, the WX-3 was the only Vector to be fitted with the larger
and more powerful 7.0-liter twin-turbo engine. Its Roadster sister
car, also debuting at the 1993 Geneva Motor Show, was fitted with
the same conventional powerplant as the earlier W8 model. As a
result, the WX-3 is a true high-performance supercar of the time
with a variable turbo boost selector bringing reported power to
1,000 horsepower with claimed performance figures of zero-to-sixty
mph in just 3.3 seconds and a claimed top speed of 248 mph.
Unlike many concept and show cars of the 1990s the story of this
Vector, following its appearance at the 1993 Geneva Motor Show is
well documented. Due to a takeover of the company the planned
production of additional WX-3s would not take place. Fortunately
for collectors, the WX-3 was retained by Weigert during these
proceedings and remained with him until 2019. Having been carefully
preserved by its creator it was then sold to a private collector
and has since been subject to almost $300,000 of restorative work
to bring it to roadworthiness. Invoices on file and available for
review detail the work performed by Miller Motorcars of Greenwich,
CT. While most of the restoration costs can be attributed to the
mechanical aspects of the car, a new interior was installed that
was carefully selected to match the original colors. It should be
noted, however, that as the Vector WX-3 was never fully completely
at the factory as a model line and a viable production car, and
despite the considerable current investment in the car's
drivetrain, one should be mindful of the car's limitations in
modern traffic conditions.
Having never been exhibited at any international events or
concours, the WX-3 is perhaps the zenith of small production
supercars of its era. With increased market focus on these
"Youngtimers" it is almost inevitable that the next caretaker could
be the one to grace the lawn of myriad concours events. While
Vector may have been unable to scale supercar production in the
manner they would have liked, the passage of time has a way of
elevating these underappreciated creations. Founder Jerry Wiegert
sadly passed away in 2021, but like John DeLorean or Preston
Tucker, Wiegert will always be remembered for creating something
entirely new, rewriting the rules as America's first Supercar
manufacturer in his own audacious style.
Addendum & Administrative Notes
Due to California emissions laws, please note that this vehicle may
only be sold to an out-of-state resident for use outside of
California or to a licensed automotive dealer.