I was at the library a few months ago and was flipping throuh some early '90s C&D and R&T magazines, and one or two of the issues featured this car. The interior blew me away; so high tech, even now. It looked like the inside of a fighter jet with all kinds of digital guages and maybe even a heads-up display.

It has a Chrysler three-speed automatic or a five-speed manual. The automatic is the same transmission used in the 1980s Maserati Quattroporte and was originally used in the Dodge Challenger. But the engine sound gives me the giggles, hearing those turbos spool up is amazing.

Whne I saw this car when I was little, in a book, my jaw dropped, and never came back. Then I found out the concept came out in 77. Only 50 of these bad boys built. Top Speed 218 mph. THIS is a TRUE hypercar! It holds a special place in my heart! (I didn't know it but have 2 Mcro Machine WX-3s and one HotWheel! I need a W8!)

One of the best, if not THE best looking car I've ever seen

One of the coolest Supercars of the late 80's and early 90's... Awesome.

You probably know by now, but in case you don't, the W in W8 does not denote the cylinder layout. It is for Wiegert, the founder of Vector Motors. The W8 uses a fairly conventional aluminum block V8 built to racing spec with twin turbos.

MSRP on the Vector was approx. $480,000 with no options. The highest value in resale that any have sold for so far is $1.2 M. The Saleen S7 MSRP 12 years later was $585,000. About the same as the Zonda C12 S (which came out at the same time). The S7 proved a great race car platform early on against european competitors.

back in 1988 i met gerry weigart, he was in the middle of financing his company with a penny stock firm called blinder robinson. back than his stock traded for .20 cents per share. every one who attended the dog and pony show in vegas recieved posters, jackets..all kinds of neat stuff...i still have it till today.

Close... the W8 denotes the generational development. The original Vector concept was the effectively the W1, the first prototype underwent many design changes from the early 80's until around 1989. The production Vector was the 8th evolution.... and W came not from the engine shape, but Jerry's last name... Weigart.

This shows how much you know about the Vector W8, its extreme engineering. Everything was built to aircraft specification, and the whole of the car was designed to last the lifetime of the car's owner relatively maintainence free. Several cars have logged upwards of 20,000 miles, each car is capable of 242 mph RPM limited

The Vector W8 is still one of the fastest cars money can buy today. The W8 is made to last the life of the owner with minimal maintaining costs. Every panel gap is more precise then any other car I've been in and around. The car was honed in the wind tunnel, and was run to 242 mph at Bonneville... what else are you wondering?

at the time of construction, nothing was better. Nearly 20 years later, I'd expect the Veyron to be better. In the building where the Vector was built was this quote.. "Don't forget, you are building the Finest" or something very similar

There was only 6 minutes of footage, which was shrunk down to less then 3 minutes. There were no pedestrians, asside from Bob, and myself, both of which were filming. There is a great deal of sight distance in the car, and in that neighborhood. The full video is also on youtube, if you haven't already seen it, just a "Vector w8" search brings it up. Sorry if it's not your cup of tea, but IMHO it is the best that is out there so far :)

First rolling prototype W-2 was in 1981, production car was from 1990-1993. Koenigsegg's first car was just a prototype for 10 years as well.

I like the 255 aluminum dovovan twon intercooled turbo model the best. That is the one I sat in at the New York International Auto Show. Both my wife and I where guests of Jerry back in the 70's as a potential investor and auto buyer.

@PaleHearse The W2 used a Donnavan 5.7 liter twin turbo. For the production model, the use of a reslevable Roddeck Y block was employed @ 6.0 or 6.2 liters. The owner of the car has production line photos of each car, from the W2, all through the WX3 prototypes. He also has the VIN's if you wish to ask him on his youtube page. VectorW8015

wiring, machining, manufacture, and build standards. M12 was built by the Indonesians in Florida. Apparently, only one Vector Aeromotive employee remained at that point. It was in essense, a Diablo-Kit-Car. The Styling was 100% Gerrald Weigart, Not Gordon Murray and Peter Stevens. One could argue that the VP of Engineering had his hand on some of the final style of the W8.

@tehpartysong The Vector W8 actually reaches 389.6 kph, and out skid-pads a Ferrari F40. The Vector also has a boost controller; with each car capable of running 1200 RWHP reliably on 110 race fuel on 366 CID.

Looks better than most of the wedge concepts from the 60's and 70's IMHO; including the Bertone Alfa Carabo. Much better then what those Italians tried to create.

@PaleHearse Correction, it reached 242mph at The Salt Flats though it "officially" topped out at "only" 218mph. The W8 was first manufactured in 1991 not '82. All the Vectors, like most American exotics, like the Molser MT900s and the SSC UA, are made in extremely low numbers, like all real exotics should be. Avtech only built 18 W8s, or so. Also if you cared to know any of this you could just Google it yourself instead of making noise.

Agassi's car was the only one "Returned" which was delivered prior to being completed under the strict guideline (and paperwork) that he not drive it. When he did, the car overheated. That was the only car returned. Top gear never tested the W8, only the Megatech built lambo-sourced chassis/ engine M12.

@kikiCar88 You may have missed it; or simply never read an article at the time on the W8. The chassis was derrived from Group C technology... the first true monicoque construction (before the McLaren F1) in production, and it out handled the Ferrari F40, as well as had an amazing engine.

@PaleHearse Sadly, you are mistaken quite severely. 17 production W8's were built between mid 1990, and early 1993. Two pre production cars were made named PP1 and PP2, and two prototype future models based on the W8 chassis were made named WX3 and WX3-R with an all new body, and two prototype engines were built initially, including a 9.0 liter n/a V12 and a 7.0 liter DOHC V8. Neither of those motors are used in the WX3 and WX3 R today; just the Roddeck Y block that shared use in the W8's.

the "W" comes from the designer who penned the car, and was the president of the company that made the car, Jerry Weigart, the 8 stands for the model generation from the original Vector design which Weigart created since the 77 Geneva auto salon.

Vector W2 began prototyping in 1978, by 1980, the car was running a twin turbo Donnovan 5.7 liter v8 and v-max of 237 mph. By late 1989, the 7th evolution of the W2 prototype was being tested, v-max of 242, same as the W8. The W8 was named because of what generation it was. Jerry immediately started work on the next gen. Vector with the 2 Avtech cars... What are you on about knowing the whole history?

niice car man, wt people have to remember is that this car is a lot older than these modern super cars, this car is really great!!!!!!

@DocWolph The reason the car has a ratchet-style automatic with manual shift points is at the time, it was the only gearbox that would "last the life of the owner". [ 50-80 years] No manual gear boxes could survive the huge torque levels that car was capable of making with pump gas, let alone with the boost turned up with 110 octane race gas. With 110, the W8 makes 1200 rwhp. The automatic gearbox has a custom engineered helical gear set; while using the OEM GM external assy.

It took an American to make the porsche 962 competitive toward the end of Group C era racing. The world still comes to Detroit to engineer the highest tech pieces in normal cars, exotic cars, and race cars.

For the record, this car has 13 inch tires on the rear, it handles better then any supercar out there.

Couldn't agree with you more. The whole Vector project had been around since the late 1970's and not once was it more than some MYTH of a car which had tons of urban legends surrounding how fast it was. Back in the mid 1990's people believed all these MYTHS that it could go 450km/h and that it had a 1800hp engine. They went out of business for a reason, not to mention the whole aerodynamics was a mess. A mess.

To all of the people saying that the Vector W8 sucks, STFU. The Vector is its own marvel and should be appreciated for what it is. The Vector is still one of the greatest supercars EVER.

someone loves to design cars with only a ruler and a pen. "no you can't put square wheels on the car, it won't drive!!"

@psychocycledad No, the W8 refers to the designer, and iteration of his vehicle... W (eigart) 8th generation. The engine is a Rodeck Y Block V8 to 366 CID.

Cool car. I'm amazed how the comments turned to America bashing. Even in trying times America is the greatest country in the world. Small minds are hoping the mighty will fall I guess. Not gonna happen. Keep wishing your country was as great as ours. COOL CAR ! God Bless America !

McLaren F1 street cars aren't built for cornering; whereas the Vector W8 was tested to out corner an F40; and has fully adjustable geometry. A friend had driven an F1 thinking the suspension was broken. Then sent it back to Woking - whom replied "It handles just like every other F1". They knkow how to build a race car; but not a street car.

Check your stats, the Vector W8 held the skidpad record for R&T and C&D for 15 years and was compared to formula 1 cars of the day for its handling.

@DocWolph That's the beautiful thing about facts... they speak for themselves. These things are all open for folks to research for themselves. The too will find that not only is there no difference substantively between the W2's and the W8's but that the number of "17" was actually only produced on Vector's own web resources and never backed up by vin numbers. There is currently ONE prototype of the M series (long one with a Lamborghini engine) for sale in Florida for 160K or so.

@FLDOTexe18 Two are in Michigan, the rest are scattered across he US (FL, TX, CA, OR, and other places here, as well as the mid east, UK, and Germany)

@canadiandude1974 Actually, that wasn't based on anything but speculation. The Cd. of the W8 is .32; and was tested in the wind tunnel near Willow Run Airport which resulted in several development aero pieces.

The new WX-8 prototype that was at the Los Angeles Auto Show gets 1850hp from a supercharged 10 litre V8 and can apparently go 443km/h top speed.

They aren't tiny gaps, nor obtuse gaps. They are , however, perfectly aligned on both sides symmetrical. I'm sure the quality of the 959 is not dissimilar. I am still waiting for the 959 to arrive from US conversion. Outdated, sure in many ways... it was engineered as a production car 17 years ago! Today's marvels IMHO are the CGT, and Veyron (As well it should be for its price)

The vector has a B+M transmission to Vector's specific tollerance levels, with specific shift qualities unique from any other automatic, but it is an automatic gearbox. you can read a lot more at the website 0-60 dot us (without the spaces) in the full report on this car

@Renceau The 3 speed auto is a custom design inside the GM housing. By definition, a clutch-pack automatic gearbox is a torque multiplyer. It also allows the car to keep the boost up without the use of anti-lag measures (which I have yet to see one made road legal) between shifts. It actually allows the car to go faster than if you were to shift with a standard transmission. Yes, more energy is lost, but the W8's all run out of gear @ 242 mph, they don't run out of power.

the phrases "finest supercar in the world" and "built in America" should NEVER be used in the same sentence except if seperated by a "wasn't"

on wikipedia it says that they range from $200k to a million depending on condition.

@deltajegga I was helping show this car a few years ago at a show in a major downtown metropolitan area, and was surprised how many people thought it was a DeLorean. The DMC 12 may have a basic wedge shape, but that isn't hardly similar!

@Renceau First thing you notice when you get in is that Jerry Weigart is not a tall man. 5'8" where I'm 6" taller. I have to slouch a little, and put the seat to the maximum reclining position to be relatively comfortable. The car is only 42.5" tall from the ground. If I were to own one, I would have the seats redone to maximize headroom for me. Lateral space is more than enough. Step on the gas, and the car just rockets forward immediately. It isn't like n/a or small turbo cars...

Their latest model was the SRV8, which had a Corvette engine and a Porsche transaxle.

replaces a typical dashboard layout showing speed, rpm, oil pressure and temperature, coolant temp and pressure etc. etc. etc. Its the same device that is in the F117A stealth fighter. It is both digital, and analog :)

Very cool! I prefer the W-2's "high downforce wing" configuration myself the best

I personally have been in most of the 90's supercars (W8, XJ220, and F40) and they are all incredible. The W8 has higher cornering speeds. If that isn't "better handling" in a pure definition, then I don't know what is.

@nthfinity Thnak you for your response. I may not get a Vector in the future but despite its "rarity", it is still a fast machine. Concerning the 575M, it is a good car; quick, comfy, easy to maintain myself, seriously. It is not the best Ferrari & as the car is built in 2002, the design has not aged well compared to the 355 & many others before & after it to say but 1 Fez. The car is currently been totally refurbished and I am using my pathetic 512 TR as I am hoping to get an F70.

This was a unique machine! There has been nothing else like it before and probably not in the future either! That was the last true Vector, before Mr W. got ousted by the stupid stockholders!

Fanboy? Well, I have had experience in the car under full accel. I instantly loved it, it's true. I know one of the Engineers who built the car as well. So if responding to each of your complaints with factual information makes me a fanboy, so be it. The USA's tradition runs deep in my blood. The first American car to "whoop" the euro competition on their home ground was built by my great grandfather... causing Enzo Ferrari to copy the American monster's engine design. The Packard 299.

I agree that may very well be the case but I also believe that people should be aware of the whole history of the model line, then you can make whatever clarifications are necessary regarding the circumstances surrounding all the different versions of The Vector.

I remember reading about this car in a popular magazine once, from around the early '90's, I suppose. It said the Lexus LS400 had the lowest drag co-efficient of any car on the market at the time. The Vector had a co-efficient of that of a Kenworth, literally. It was the worst of any car at the time. Sounds nice, but cuts through the air like a deep-freeze.

@nthfinity You do realize that once the Vector W8 activates it's twin turbo chargers it gains 1100 HP right? And that is something it gains STANDARD. Something none of the cars you mentioned gain is not "customized" to get it. So the Vector stands ahead of all.

it's a straight shoot-out between the Countach and the Vector for the title

Nice to see a fellow FOC member :) Nothing wrong with loving them... we DRIVE. Curiously, we just had a regional board meeting this morning. I'll be upping some new videos of driving in April when the weather turns.

That was the Vector M12. Top gear never tested the W8. The two cars were not built by the same people whatsoever.

McLaren SLR is also a full blown torque converter every paddle shift is an automatic as well ;)

one of the belts in the gearbox on deccel, and the turbos on accel to a greater degree.

@lamboboyy15 What do you mean? The car is factory prepared, and maintained (As the owner used to be the factory service rep).

Keep in mind, the time which the car was built. At the time, there was the F40, the XJ220, the EB110, the 959,the McLaren F1 and the Vector W8. Interior quality is above all the aforementioned in my experience, as is ride quality, and comfort. Of all these cars, only the Vector is made to last the lifetime of the owner. Exterior build quality is aluminum, and carbon kevlar; and requires a micrometer to measure variance in the panel gaps.

@kawa7900 No. In fact, while Enzo was stuck with solid axles and drum brakes on his street and race cars, Corvette had already long abandon in favor of fully independent suspension, and disc brakes.

everything in handling is quantifiable. Spend a day ( or more) with some race engineers on a winning ( or losing) ALMS LMP2 team, and you may learn that quite quickly. Handling isn't simple. Everything from roll center, Ackerman angle, camber, toe, regidity, sway bar stiffness, what tire compound is used, tire sidewall regidity, wheel diameter, angular momentum, rolling friction, bump damping, rebound damping, spring rates...

Hopefully the GT showed that the US is drawing closer to producing a true supercar.

@bigM10231 The W2 had a Donovan 383 Twin Turbo. The W8 had the Rodeck block.

Actually, the engine is a Rodeck Y block, look it up. The turbo system was engineered by Vector, as were the internals of the engine. The only thing that shares similarity with the Chevy block is elementary architecture.

NEED MORE FOOTAGE!!!!!!!! :( Man that car is awesome.

@Renceau with about 6.0 liters and two turbos, the wave of torque is huge, and unending. Being a 3 speed, you really only use two gears and you are going 160 mph. It doesn't give the same rush of speed that other cars with peaky engines do at the top. If anything, I'd say it's like comparing the sense of speed in a 308 to a Testerossa... the TR's don't rev all that high, but deceive you how you are suddenly going 100 mph where it feels like you are going 70 mph.

There are two W8's in Florida right now; I don't think either have 35,000 miles on them. One was the former Agassi car; the other is immaculate as well.

@Renceau Very nice! The only Renault Alpine I've had any experience with is an A110. A fantastically gorgeous car! Other than that, I have driven both a R5 T1 and R5 T2... had to push start the T2 once... we joked that it wasn't the French car, it was the American battery!

No modern car should rust within 11 years. According to my own experience, Volvo has the best rust-resistance. One of my professors drives a 1972 Volvo, which still has a spotless body.

@nthfinity I'll double check that. If it checks out I'll be sure to add this to the fact pile on the car. Thanks.

@kawa7900 The Corvette got all that in 1963. And was built for handling. That's why it was a great international race car. Also, the Vector W8 was the best handling car of it's era in it's category in quantifiable measurements even besting an F40. Also, the Nissan is how many years newer? It's not a great in terms of handling feel, but has tremendous grip with its better tire technology.

Fun fact, this car used to belong to Setiawan Djodi in Indonesia

@Renceau Yes, an automatic gearbox multiplies the torque through the clutch packs on launch. This isn't something that is up for debate, it's how they work mechanically.

@SuperYokoh don't look at it as vibration - look at it as transmitting information from the road to your hands. It's a great thing.

one of my favorite supercar

this car was badass in gran turismo 2

God those are nice. There is at least one near by here. Brian Zuk has videos of it on You Tube. It is super sweet.

The tires were specifically made by Michellin for the Vector, and sold for the Countach, XJ220, and Testerossa. However, Michillen certified the tires with the suspension/car package of the W8 for 250 mph. The car has remarkable aero. The engine is of Vector design, from a drag bock base.

the greatest car ever designed

the amount of engineering in the suspension, and chassis of the W8 come directly from Group C racing efforts. Yet, immense input was taken from magazine testers, and 'normal' people at large during the 10 years that the W-2 prototype was being evolved. The W8 is a very communicative chassis. The steering is a little numb, and the brakes are progressive and excellent! What you are talking about is not handling, it is how the chassis and steering feel is. ;)

chassis design, engine design etc goes today. the mclaren held up very well despite handling issues. though rectified in other variants. i think thats the issue. the mclaren has had massive success in gt racing and the level of technology used is still bang up to date whereas the vector was admittedly more advanced at the time than the xj etc. it has dated now and isn't anything to rave about compared to modern cars

Thats right the W8 was still light years ahead of the M12.

@pinherc I find the Vector W8 one of the best designs of the time. It did not age well, though. Most Supercars look like crap just 10 years after they were made, nevermind 20 or 30 years. But Stefan Schulze drew up the Tribun which is his take on a modern Vector and it looks amazing.

@19thaman79 This car; which runs quite healthy runs 0-60 in about 3.9 or quicker. However, the 5-150 time is about 12 seconds; which is quicker than an Enzo. 3rd gear is so tall that it takes a while to get from 175 to V-max of 242.

Best looking car ever...not a monster but also not too soft and pretty..just the right amount of muscle and exoticness I think the mirrors should be more upright like flags though

@ROCKSOLID19 Rarity, speed, design, technology (at the time). It's not for everyone. The pedigree is that this was the fastest car in the world until the McLaren beat it by a few 10ths of a mph in one direction. Much group C technology found it's way into the Vector W8. Whereas, the 575M has very little in common with the Prodrive 550 GT1, or the later 575 GTC. That said, Prodrive did have a good car to start off with ;) There was also a Vector built to top the 24 hour speed record...

God, the dash looks like it's in the cockpit of an air bus

@nthfinity The steering column and wheel don't absorb the contours of the road, the SUSPENSION does that. The dude was talking about VIBRATION which, if excessive, will become very tiresome very quickly.

Getting the car to move from a stop/standstill. And it's accelerating. XD

thankyou, more is available at Jabbasworld Dot Net. Also, be sure to check out the original 0-60 magazine! for the full in depth article on this amazing machine :)

Many people on youtube has simply forgotten the price. I have seen people comparing the new Camaro with BMW M3; while the MSRP of V8 Camaro SS only costs slightly over 1/3 of the M3, at my local dealer.

What ended up being "modified" as in NOT OEM in the Ford GT, Z06, ZR1, and Viper ACR? In fact, the only reason Viper went to NS was because the VCA paid 1/2 the bill to get the car over there, track rental, and professional driver. I don't know if you've been in an Enzo, F50, F40, or 288 GTO, but except for the 288, those are too extreme for the normal customer as well. Diablo's aren't known as real handlers. I drove an LP640 last fall... fantastic, but not hard edged like a Z06, or 360 CS.

The other video is longer. So, what is the finest (at the time)? The F40 has tons of lag below 5000. The EB110 has tons of lag below 5500, and the XJ220 had tons of lag too. The W8 stays on boost between shifts, those cars don't.

Styling was conceived when the wedge was more popular. Look at hi-res images of the Vector W8; the interior quality is very similar to the XJ220, and McLaren F1. Build quality and panel gaps are better then either. Engine note is individual; and eye of the beholder. You simply prove your brain doesn't function normally. There were 22 Vector's built on a budget of 30 million USD from 1977-1993. The first prototype EB110 cost that much alone, and isn't as "good" to drive.

Jerry Weigert was behind this vehicle. The company was allways having $ probs. The idea behind it was to build a quality light chassis and use big American engine for high HP(they did lots of Lambo parts at 1 time) The main problem was they never had the $ needed for 1st class development and production. I think they are ugly but the idea of a European type chassis with a big American v8 that can make 600+HP while still loafing along is a good one. Just lacked the $ to pull it off, unfortunatly