The remarkable story of Vector Motors

If I asked you what the best American-made supercar is, what would you answer? The Corvette? The Viper? Maybe the Saleen S7? Very likely, but I bet some of you will immediately think of Gerald Wiegert and his Vector cars. While it shouldn’t be for a variety of reasons, you can’t ignore the fact that it had the potential to be a rival to Lamborghini and the like. Vector started in the late 1970s, plodded along through the 1980s, and finally burst like a bubble in the 1990s. Despite all that, Vector Motors still excites people, and now there’s a chance to snap up a collection of Vector’s greatest successes (or failures, if you will). During this year’s Monterey Car Week, RM Sotheby’s is auctioning four cars, ranging from an early W8 Twin Turbo to one of the latest M12s.

a tireless pursuit

The story of Vector Motors begins in the 1970s with automotive engineer and businessman Gerald (or Jerry) Alden Wiegert. Almost immediately after graduating from college, he began working on his dream: the Vector. In 1978, he founded Vectors Motor Corporation with the intention of putting the Vector into production as an all-American sports/supercar. The Vector was aimed squarely at Europe’s top models: Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Porsche. The Vector was originally intended to use a Wankel engine, but even an engine from Porsche was considered. In 1976, two years before the Vector automaker was founded, a concept prototype was unveiled at the LA Auto Show. In 1978, the updated Vector W2 appeared as a non-running prototype, but a year later a working and roadworthy car was presented to the public.

The W2 was a prime example of Vector’s (and therefore Wiegert’s) vision of an all-American supercar: a boxy design with scissor doors and a powerful 5.7-liter Chevrolet V8 in the back. The 600+ horsepower available was expected to give a top speed of 241 mph, although this was never tested or confirmed. The W2 never went into production, but was developed into the W8, which did. Funded by money from various lawsuits Wiegert filed (and won), and by finding a high-profile client in tennis pro Andre Agassi, things looked promising for Vector and the W8. But it was not to be, as Agassi pressured Vector to deliver the car to him before it was fully developed and tested. Then, against Vector’s advice, Agassi drove the car one more time and was furious when it broke down. Vector bought the car back and finished it as planned, but by this time the press was already smelling blood. According to sources, between 17 and 22 vehicles were built in just three years. The W8 was equipped with the same twin-turbo V8 as the W2 and had similar performance figures.

Despite numerous setbacks, Wiegert pressed on and began development of the next car, the WX-3. It was introduced to the public in 1992, followed by a roadster in 1993. The cars featured an updated version of the Chevy twin-turbocharged V8, capable of 1,200 horsepower under high boost pressure. During this time, investor MegaTech forcibly seized control of the company and fired Wiegert. Due to the dispute between Wiegert and MegaTech, the WX-3 never made it past the prototype stage. With Wiegert out of the running, at least for the time being, MegaTech began development of an entirely new Vector car. The M12 featured an updated design and a new engine (which came from Lamborghini, of all things, which was also owned by MegaTech at the time). The press reaction was horrific, with several publications essentially calling the car junk. Shortly thereafter, Vector (or Avtech, as it was then known) closed its doors.

Undeterred, Wiegert took back all of the company’s assets. Rumor has it that he began work on a new car. Although he unveiled a prototype at the LA Auto Show in 2007, nothing ever came of it. Gerald Wiegert died in 2021 at the age of 76. During his endeavors, when he owned and didn’t own the company, about 50 Vector cars were built. And while Vector has gained a bad reputation over the years, it has achieved cult-like status and is one of the most prolific “what if…” companies. It showed tons of potential, but struggled with problems very early on. Problems that, unfortunately, it was never able to overcome.

The Turbollection

Vector cars occasionally come up for sale or auction, and during this year’s Monterey Car Week, RM Sotheby’s is offering not one but four of them for auction. All of the cars are part of Turbollection, a private collection of some of the most fascinating supercars of the 1980s and 1990s. In addition to the quartet of Vector cars, there is also the chance to snap up a 1985 pre-production Porsche 959, a 1991 Isdera Imperator 108i, a 1993 Bugatti EB110 SS prototype, and a 1993 Cizeta V16T.

In chronological order, RM Sotheby’s is selling a 1991 Vector W8 Twin Turbo, the 1993 Vector WX-3 and WX-3R Roadster prototypes, and a 1996 Vector M12. This would pretty much be the beginning, middle, and swan song for Vector, as it captures all three eras of the troubled company. All appear to be in pretty good condition, having been serviced and restored as needed over the years.

The purple 1991 Vector W8 Twin Turbo (pictured above) is the car that pretty much first showcased Wiegert’s angular design. It has a sharp, wedge-shaped front end with built-in headlights. The profile shows a sharp line running from the nose to the tail, with scissor doors, various air intakes and a fixed wing at the rear. The double horizontal slats for the taillights are pure nostalgia in 1980s car design! The interior is finished in black leather from top to bottom. A cool little detail is a digital screen in the dashboard that displays a silhouette of the car when the doors are opened. The rear section hides a transversely mounted 6.0-liter twin-turbo V8 with 600 horsepower. In 1991, this car was built for 189,000 USD but now it has an estimate of 800,000 USD To 1 million USD.

The pair of Vector WX-3s, both the coupe and the roadster, are prototypes and truly one-offs. They were owned by Gerald Wiegert until 2019 and have less than 3,000 miles on the clock. The design of both still shows a very wedge-shaped shape, but is a bit softer compared to the previous W2 and W8 models. The cars are equipped with pop-up headlights, scissor doors and leather interior.

In the rear of the purple WX-3R Roadster sits the original 6.0-liter twin-turbo V8 with around 625 horsepower. Its teal sibling, however, has a 7.0-liter twin-turbo engine, albeit with the high-boost upgrades, and thus produces around 1,000 horsepower. Both cars were extensively restored between 2019 and 2021, at least mechanically, records show. RM Sotheby’s is auctioning them with estimates of 1.3 million USD To 1.5 million USD every.

The last car to be auctioned is the 1996 Vector M12 (see below), so technically a car that Wiegert had no involvement with, as the company was fully controlled by MegaTech at the time. The exterior of the car follows the design ethos of its predecessors, but again with smoother, softer lines. The larger V12 in the rear, now mounted lengthways rather than transversely, has brought the cabin a little further forward compared to the earlier designs.

The pop-up headlights of the WX-3 are gone, but the scissor doors remain, as do the large air intakes and the fixed rear wing. The engine is from Lamborghini and produces around 500 hp. Of the 14 production cars built, this is number 5 and the only one that was originally painted in this deep purple. It now stands for an estimated price of 400,000 USD To 600,000 USDmaking it the cheapest of the four.

This selection of highly fascinating and extremely rare cars is simply incredible, and personally I have always had a soft spot for Gerald Wiegert’s ill-fated Vector story. It would have been fantastic to see the brand reach its full potential and become America’s first true supercar manufacturer.

For more information, visit RM-Sotheby’s.com.

Editorial note: Unless otherwise stated, all images in this article are from RM Sotheby’s and are used with permission.