The 1989 Vector W8

 

The American Supercar Dream That Went Bust

 

 

 

     If you've heard of Vector you would probably know that Vector faced problems in the form of a funding loss from Lamborghini when it was bought by Audi, and a hostile takeover my Indonesian firm Megatech. However by 2007 the name Vector was revived with founder Jerry Wiegert regaining all of the assets and renaming the company Vector Motors. But enough business history. You're here to look at and read about a legend that sadly failed. That legend is the all-American Vector W8.

     The Vector W8 is a RMR layout supercar equipped with a 5.7 liter modified twin-turbocharged Chevrolet V8 engine from a Corvette that produced 650 bhp at 5,700 rpm and 649 lb-ft of torque on 8 pounds of boost. The boost levels could be adjusted from 8 to 14 and during dyno testing at the Vector factory the engine delivered 1,200 bhp at 14 pounds of boost. What's really weird is that the engine was coupled to a custom 3-speed transmission. Top speed of the W8 is 242 mph and could get to sixty in roughly 4 seconds or less.

     The W8's body was mostly made of carbon fiber and Kevlar. The W8 also uses a semi-aluminum monocoque chassis that is epoxy bonded and riveted with an aluminum honeycomb floor pan. But perhaps the most interesting feature of the W8 is the installation of 5,000 aircraft specification rivets in the car's construction. When Road & Track tested the final version of the W8 they said it was the fastest production car in the world right behind the McLaren F1.      

     Back when the W8 was first sold it cost $448,000. Today on the used market a perfect W8 will cost $1.4 million. Despite the cool aircraft looks of the car I don't think it's worth it. A good example is when tennis star Andre Agassi returned his W8 complaining about its problems.