Vector Motors Corporation was an American automobile manufacturer originally based in Wilmington, California. Its history can be traced to Vehicle Design Force, which was founded in 1978 by Gerald Wiegert. Vehicle production by Vector Aeromotive began in 1989 and ceased in 1993. The company was later revived as Vector Motors Corporation, and has continued to develop sports cars. 

at the beginning...

In 1971, Gerald Wiegert, who had just graduated from college, founded a design house called Vehicle Design Force and teamed up with Lee Brown, a well-known auto body expert in Hollywood, to create a new car called The Vector. The Vector was planned to feature various powerplant options, including a DOHC Porsche engine, and preproduction literature said that it would cost US$100.000 (at the time, a new Lamborghini Miura cost $21.000). The Vector was featured on the cover of Motor Trend magazine in April 1972, and a concept prototype was displayed at the 1976 LA Auto Show, however the car did not enter production. Lee Brown left the design team in 1977. Wiegert renamed Vehicle Design Force to "Vector Aeromotive" after the previous vehicle's research was refocused on a new car, the Vector W2.

w2

The Vector W2 is a concept car constructed by Vector Motors in 1978. The concept went into production as the Vector W8 in 1990.

The name comes from the "W" for Jerry Wiegert (designer and founder of Vector Motors) and "2" for the number of turbochargers. The car is fully functional. It has a Bosch fuel injected twin-turbocharged 5.7 L aluminum Chevrolet V8 engine that producees over 600 hp and over 800 N·m of torque. The top speed is a claimed 389 km/h.

The car went through a number of improvements in performance, technology, updated styling exercises, as well as color changes. It was displayed at international auto shows worldwide, and featured in many automotive publications. The car covered over 100,000 mi (160,934 km) in testing, more than any other concept car.

In 1990, the concept went into production as the Vector W8. Only a handful cars were constructed before the company went bankrupt.

Currently, the Vector W2 prototype is inoperable, but is slated for restoration.

w8

The Vector W8 is a sports car produced by American automobile manufacturer Vector Aeromotive Corporation from 1989 to 1993. It was designed by company founder and chief designer Gerald Wiegert while receiving refinements by Vector's head of engineering David Kostka. The W8 was the production version of the Vector W2 prototype that the company demonstrated throughout the 1980s.

The W8 combined the design characteristics of the Carabo with references to fighter jets of the era. The company utilized the newest and most advanced aerospace materials in manufacturing the W8, and the term "Aeromotive Engineering" was used by the company when referring to the manufacturing process of the W8. Prior to production, the W8 successfully passed DOT crash tests, as well as emissions tests. The semi-aluminum monocoque chassis was epoxy bonded and riveted with an aluminum honeycomb structure floor pan, and 5,000 aircraft specification rivets were used in the car's assembly. The body was made largely of lightweight carbon fiber and Kevlar.

The car was based around a Rodeck aluminum resleevable 6.0 L racing engine. The engine had two intercooled Garrett turbochargers, and an advertised power output of 625 hp at 5700 rpm and 880 N⋅m of torque at 4900 rpm.

Vector claimed the W8 could reach a projected top speed of 389 km/h, with acceleration from 0–100 km/h achievable in a time of 4 seconds.

Seventeen customer cars and two pre-production cars were produced before Vector went into receivership in 1993.

wx-3

The Avtech WX-3 is a prototype sports car engineered, developed and manufactured by Vector Motors of Wilmington, California in 1992. Conceived by Vector Motors founder and chief designer Gerald Wiegert as a successor to the W8. Production plans for the WX-3 included a range of three engine configurations ranging from 600 hp up to 1200 hp from a proprietary 7.0L DOHC V8 engine. Originally painted silver, the WX-3 coupé prototype was later re-painted teal by Wiegert to match the teal-blue and purple logo of his Aquajet jet-ski company.

The WX-3 prototypes used a three-across seating arrangement that was an option on W8 export models although Vector stated that a production model would have used more conventional bucket seats. Wiegert had also planned a roadster version of the WX-3, named the WX-3R; both vehicles shared mechanical components from the W8. Like the model it was based on, the WX-3R did not pass the prototype stage.

Wiegert planned for the WX-3 to enter production in the 1990s, but after a hostile takeover initiated by Megatech, Wiegert was fired from his own company. The car was never produced and later removed from future plans of the company when Wiegert initiated lawsuits and copyrighted the designs, preventing Megatech from building and selling the car without his approval.

In 1994, MegaTech purchased the Lamborghini brand for $40 million. It then sold it to Audi AG in 1998 for $110 million.

MegaTech moved Vector from its Wiegert-owned headquarters building in Wilmington, California, to Jacksonville, Florida, where the company could share office space with fellow MegaTech-owned automaker Automobili Lamborghini.

The new Vector Aeromotive Corporation created a car called the Vector M12, which was loosely based on the WX-3 but powered by a version of the Lamborghini Diablo V12 engine. Consequently, some work on the M12 was handled by Lamborghini. As such, many of the essentially American "spirit" characteristics of previous editions did not carry over to the M12.

m12

1995-1999

The Vector M12 is a sports car manufactured by Vector Aeromotive under parent company Megatech, and was the first car produced after the hostile takeover. The model was produced from 1995 to 1999, when production was halted due to slow sales of the car. The production totaled 17 units including the prototypes.

The car was based on the Lamborghini Diablo utilising most of its mechanical components and its V12 engine as Megatech owned Lamborghini at that time and took such steps to produce the car in higher volumes at a low cost. The engine was centrally mounted in front of the gearbox rather than behind it as in the Lamborghini. The styling was a loose copy of the AWX-3.

The drivetrain was a 5.7 L Lamborghini V12 engine, which had a power output of 499 PS at 5200 rpm and 576 N⋅m of torque at 4900 rpm. This differed from the twin-turbocharged Rodeck V8 engine in the W8 and the AWX-3, as they were considered to be too costly for series production of the new model. 

The M12 production run ended in 1999 when Vector could not pay Lamborghini for the engines. Lamborghini took a W8 as payment, but Wiegert litigated for ownership of that car and won the case. Though the car was not returned.

srv8

The SRV8 is essentially the Vector M12, but heavily modified to racing specifications. The SRV8 showcased all new aerodynamics, a revised suspension, and a modified 5.7L GM LT1 V8 engine. The SRV8 chassis came from one of the racing M12’s which ran at road Atlanta in 1998. The SRV8 is said to have a weight of about 1247 kg, and the modified V8 produced around 350hp. Everything on the SRV8 was based on the race car M12. The air scoop, rear wing, side ducts, front splitter and according to the company ‘SRV’ stands for “Street Race Legal”.

How many made? 1

the return?

After the remains of Vector Aeromotive were sold to American Aeromotive, Wiegert took back the assets of Vector and changed the company name from Avtech Motors to Vector Supercars, then finally to Vector Motors.

Since the company's closure, rumors began to circulate about Wiegert developing a new car to bring Vector back to life with a new model called the WX8.

wx8

2007

The Vector WX-8 was a sports car prototype manufactured by Vector Motors. It was first unveiled at the 2007 LA Auto Show, revealing the development and the company's ambitious intentions of creating a next generation sports car successor to their previous models.

Vector claimed the WX-8 may achieve a top speed of 430 km/h and a 0-100 km/h  time as low as 2.4 seconds for the version of the car equipped with a 10-liter turbocharged engine. This engine was described variously on the company's website as being capable of "1800+ HP", "1850+ HP", and "over 1250 horsepower".

As of August 2018, Vector Motors reportedly was still actively developing the vehicle. It was reported that the company seeks to sell two Vector WX-3 prototypes for US$3.5 million to secure further funding of development operations. Vector's website announced the WX-8 will be equipped with a choice of two potential engines: a 10.0 liter big-block V-8 or an electric/hybrid 7.0 liter small-block V-8. The car was not complete by the time of designer Gerald Wiegert's death in early 2021, with an incomplete prototype model sitting on Wiegert's driveway.