@@silatguy You mean one of those guys who knows unicorns are fictitious and cars are real so there is literally no way that seeing a rare car twice is literally like seeing a unicorn twice? Why yes, yes I am one of those guys (and ps I'm just having a laugh it's not a serious subject)
Back in the early 90's I was lucky enough to find myself in the presence of 3 Vectors in Furnace Creek, Nevada. I got to experience the W8 with a drive down to Bad Water. What did I think? It was certainly not short of power, handling was crisp, brakes were epic, wasn't to bothered about the slush box as, lets be fair, most of these types of cars are built to cruise, not to race, it was also easy to drive and comfortable surprisingly. What I didn't like was the tech. They made huge noise about the military jet tech but in reality it was crude, fussy, difficult to read and hugely expensive. They were also very proud that it was "the only supercar in the world with an airbag" - it probably was but I can't see anyone choosing one for that reason. There's a lot to be said about keeping certain things simple - the new Praga Bohemia is a perfect example, light weight, proven power unit and tech in the form of an IPhone / IPad, rather than bespoke design - oh and a huge racing pedigree helps. So, if I won the lottery would I have a Vector? Hell yes - without a shadow of a doubt.....
When people talk about the cyberpunk style (not the game), and where all those renders and cool shots of cyberpunk cars come from, I have always thought this is the car that inspired most of them. Stacked slotted rear lights with a flat slab of a back end, Giant wing and triangular frontal profile, with a wedge nose that not only tapers vertically but horizontally as well, with an almost function over form, yet tech inspired interior.
I remember as a kid seeing an advert for the Vector in the Robb Report. I became obsessed with knowing everything about it after that. Unfortunately I couldn't find any posters of it. I always wanted to be a car designer as a kid, because of people like Mr Wigert. When the W12 was created Vector was on the verge of bankruptcy so they went public. The new stockholders fired Mr Wigert and moved production to Florida, and installed a Lamborghini engine. Mr Wigert doesn't even own any of the cars he helped to create. Thank you.
To appreciate the W8 requires an acquired taste. I didn't like it when I initially saw it on a poster back in the mid 1980's as a middle school student. Everyone gawked over the Countach or F40 or 959. But now that I'm in my late 40's, I think the W8 is a masterpiece. It may not be a "purebred" super/hyper car like what Ferrari or Lambo puts out (engineer and design from head to toe), because it uses a GM small block and transmission. But it is truly a unique, "love it or hate it" type car.
The transmission choice makes sense. Toyota went with the R series transmission in the forum of the r154 for the turbocharged model of the 3rd gen supra because it could handle more power. The R series was also used in SUV's and trucks
Thanks for a great video. I posted as a possible client and made a phone call to Vector and got all kinds of cool literature and a video. Unfortunately it all got lost in a flood.
I remember that car back around the late 70’s I think. It was definitely like nothing I’d ever seen and the reported performance was equally impressive.
the downfall to the vector was the 3 speed automatic,they said they couldn't find a manual transmission that could handle the horsepower,but imagine if the vector would have had at least a 5 speed manual and a traditional layout with the shifter between the seats,weigert was an amazing innovator who should have found a partner to handle the buisness side,because on that side weigert was a disaster
Well edited video, good story telling. I remember reading about the vector in old car magazines back in the days before the modern internet. What a crazy machine!
This reminds me of a great childhood memory when I was playing gran turismo 2. I stayed up all night doing a 7000 dollar prize money race because it was the only one I could beat in 1st place to get the whole 7000$. Reason was that I saw the vector m12 and I wanted the car. Bad. I stayed up doing that 7000$ race until I reached 1 million dollars and purchased with absolute delight.
Gosh - good memory! Remembered it as soon as I saw your comment, but wouldn't have thought of it unless you reminded me - I'm off to try to watch that sequence now! Domo arigato! 👍😎
Yeap that movie and the TV show Beyond 2000s were probably the only 2 mainstream (non car related) exposure oportunities that the Vector Twin Turbo had to showcase this car. I don't know that they ever made a Die-cast of any size of this car. 🤔
@@robertbonano5496 It's funny you mentioned that, because there's a Hot Wheels basic car K.I.T.T. prototype model that's out now, and I swear it looks just like the Vector W8. When you get a chance, have a look at the Hot Wheels current models.
@@wing_teletran1 Thanks for the comment. The Vector Twin Turbo and the Cizeta Moroder have been my Unicorn 🦄 cars to collect in Die-cast models! Plenty of Ferraris and Lamborghinis but looking for those two! Thanks again 😄😏
I agree all modern cars look very similar. Sadly these days cars have to be design based on legislation which defines where certain features must be, then aerodynamics. With such a long list of rules to follow the end results will all be very similar.
The reason why it was so appealing back then is that it was a real existing matchbox car for the road so obviously, all kids loved it. But that's exactly the reason why the adults didn't buy it. Additionally back then a Golf GTI had 100 (ish) horses and crazy insane cars like 959, F40, Countach were in the 450hp class and then this thing showed up. Today all supercars are just so insanely powerful that some manufacturers already claim that you get faster lap times with less power.
Great video - thanks - I really like seeing smaller channels like yours hit the nail on the head with their choice of content - over 30k views in what, just over a month? Clever stuff - best of luck with your channel😎
@@joevarga5982 I ran the paint and body division of the company. I did all the fit and finishing. I was also the painter of last version of W2 and all the W8’s. I left the company when Lamborghini took over.
@@consciousrealitycreator8774 Sooo... that's a "Yes"? There are also many reasons not to do that on a molded part - like repeatability, consistency between cars, labor cost and cutting through the plies. How did you deal with the sanding right through the plies issue? If you increase the edge radius by a noticeable amount on a thin fender you'll cut right through the part.
Doug Demaro drove a W8, it was strange, but surprisingly user friendly car, which was unbelievably rare for that era. The steering was easy, the seats were comfortable, and the air-conditioning could chase you out of the car (probably a GM unit.) One issue it did have was that it was a bit sluggish low-down. The owner said there was probably something wrong with it, but he was unsure if he could get it fixed
I agree what a cool looking car! I have seen two in person at car shows and they make everything around them look sorta tame. I have read somewhere that if you filled your vector with aircraft fuel it could make about a thousand h.p.
I loved the Vector in period. I would buy ALL the magazines of the time and there was a good few articles about it. I even had a poster of it next to one of the Countach. And to my teenage eyes the Vector was even more outlandish. I even saw sense in the Vector drivetrain. A big, simple, reliable American V8 boosted by twin turbos to (even now!) silly horsepower mated to a lazy but leggy 3 speed auto, what could go wrong? The interior was a child's dream too. F15 switches, THAT info screen and Knightrider style dashboard!!! The only thing it didn't do was talk to you in a patronising manner. Long live the 80's, long live the legend of the Vector W8!!! RIP Gerry Weigert, the world just wasn't ready for you.
My dad saw one once, and every time the car comes up he excitedly tells me about the time he saw it. I think he also had a poster or 2 of it up in his room when he was a teenager
Theres a guy here driving a red 1985-86 Lamborghini Countach. Turns heads, draws crowds, people running to take pictures of it at the gas station, etc. 40 years later of a 50 year old design. Your point well taken.
I guess this is the first I've heard of this car, unless I've forgotten! I didn't know the Spyker existed till Ed Bolian bought one. So many insane cars out there!
For fun you should look at the car roster of old games like gran turismo 2 to find more unique classic cars. This car is in there its the only reason I mention gran turismo 2
I too saw the Ads back in the '70s. The next time I saw one was in a Chevron Commercial and just figured Chevron bought the rights to it to squelch it's production
Only 1 of 3 cars ever to leave my collection - other was a 70 Miura SV and the last was a Lucid Air GT Performance. The S7 looked great - but a garbage machine.
I have always been intrigued by vector and other companies which went bankrupt. Wonder what the automotive world would've been if these manufacturers survived. P.S.- Great edit though. What setup do you use?
If a car company does a similar design to others you get called a copy and if you do a crazy design you get told your trying to hard. You need to find that sweet spot like how Pagani did with the Zonda
The ending of this video doesn't really make sense. You (correctly) slam modern cars for following the same formula (even referencing a C8), then praise the Apollo which is following the same design language. Cut that ending off and you have a decent Vector praise video.
When he said dash is milled aluminum and same vendors as aircraft part and assembly hardware manufacturers, it became instantly clear why this car failed.....that and the 10 yr wait, ego of creator, hideous looking rear end(you only see it 3 times in while video)
Funny I was thinking “switching from an F117, transmission from a 70’s Toronado”. That, the Andre Agassi fire, and following law suit didn’t help things. If the W8 had been a manual with normal switch gear and gauges it may have not been a failure. BTW I’ve owned some Recaro C’s used in the W8, AMG Sec, etc, etc. They look cool as hell but are absolutely garbage to live with.
I think the movie "Rising Sun" was the only one I ever saw featuring a Vector. funny they choose the GM TPI long runner intake, it tended to run out of breath after 5,000 rpm unless you used an Arizona Speed and Marine siamesed tube runners.
Dude, TH-cam 101, please don’t have entirely BLANK almost minute long portions of your videos with a BLACK SCREEN and you talking over it, i almost gave up on this video multiple times because of this, and the video isn’t bad otherwise…and I agree with your premise about supercars.
Yeah.. the aspiring takeover company brought some M12s' to Road Atlanta once, and broke transmissions on track. The use of Lambo engines was OK enough, but within 5 feet of the cars you could tell that trim was lifting and things were very very poorly made. Leftover V12 Lambo engines sat on some Florida dock for quite a while looking for a buyer when the company finally folded. Terrrible ending for such a company, that like you, I had enthusiasm for for two decades .
Want to say great video on the Vector W8 btw I think it should be pointed out the W8 was really well made like aircraft levels of fit and finish, they had orders for 300 of them iirc and then Gerald Wiegert had investors come in a do a hostile takeover of his company and pretty much fucked him over, the guy that did it was a criminal in his own country and a bad guy all round this knowledge came out after, Gerald Wiegert then sued and got the rights back to the W8 name and plans but lost his company, the people who had vector at the time were then not allowed to produce the W8 as the rights to this was owned by Gerald Wiegert So then they built that shitty M12 clarkson tested it and everyone forgot about how great the W8 was because i think they just thought it was one and the same. Similar to what happened to Steve Saleen, sadly people will do anything to make money and Steve got screwed like this a couple of times. But the W8 was way better built that any other Supercar of its time, it also did 0.97g on a skidpad so had plenty of grip, power was 600bhp+ to up to 1200bhp on race fuel, the 3 speed transmission was based on the motohome one but pretty much everything about it bar the casing iirc was custom made and really strong, Engine was a full on Race engine and could make big power. I feel like it would have been a totally different story if Gerald Wiegert had not been swindled as the car was amazing for the time, with the power it had it would have left pretty much everything for dead until the Veyron and its like came about.
I remember seeing the Vector W8 as kid. I thought it was the coolest car I'd ever seen. The Vector M12 was garbage. They used a W8 in the 1993 movie Rising Sun staring Westly Snipes and Sean Connery.
So I think the reason so many super cars look similar is two fold. You can only streamline aerodynamics so far and they still need to cater to lifestyle. Its already hard enough to sell one of these cars to the 1% of the population who want basically an expensive toy for the looks. Add on there is a ton of competition out there of really good cars that can still provide style with comfort. Like why would you buy a ford gt if you don't have a place to push it? You'd be better served with a mustang gt or a tesla. Both of those are wildly fast, cost way less and can look damn good. With the tesla being notable as a good family car while sporting many luxury additions. It's just hard to justify going to wild on design when a lot of companies have a look that their base wants. I lo e the new look of BMW And VW. Really want a jaguar i-pace. Would put a small lift on it and take a dark interior. So sexy. But that's the thing right? I like them for their designs already. And there are plenty of companies kicking out wild looking cars. They're just not for the avg person who's looking for a nice ride. They're toys for wealthy people who want something flashy to drive a few times a year.
Worst part? There were only 19 of Vector W8 produced so the chances of you ever seeing any of those, especially outside of US, is close to none. Gems like these should be paraded as a beacon for the aspiring engineers.
I had a door sized poster of the w8 vector on my wall did and still do love it and even though it's dumbest car ever I still love the countach but would buy a kit before a real one as it's probably a better car
The M12 is not his. M stands for Megatech, not Weigert. Yes it's Wiegert's design but a company called Megatech took a hostile takeover of the company. His own company fired him. ( Similar to Apple when they fired Steve Jobs ) - The company moved to Florida from California - Lamborghini handled it - Few designs changed interior and exterior - Motors were changed - And when Top Gear drove it, it failed. Even though he had the company back, he hasn't made any cars since he passed away in 2021. So that is a bit disrespectful on comparing to a German hypercar. Saying is a failed company sounds like you don't know anything on American exotics.
They make them bland so when they make something radical that stands out they can charge 30 times more. Look at the price of every "super car" I think cheapest I have seen is the 120K C8 vette. Companies like Ferrari and Lambo, Porsche etc they do NOT deserve the prices they are asking.
I think there's something not right with both, looking at the dimensions. Like the McLaren. That cockpit is simply placed to far to the front. That's my opinion, don't be mad.
I've seen 2 Vectors in my life. Considering how rare they are it was literally like seeing a unicorn twice
Well, except ironically it was literally not in any way like literally seeing a unicorn twice 😏
@@ats-3693 Ah, you're one of those guys
@@ats-3693 probably at a car show. Not like a pony show with the possibility of a unicorn being there, right? Haha
@@silatguy You mean one of those guys who knows unicorns are fictitious and cars are real so there is literally no way that seeing a rare car twice is literally like seeing a unicorn twice? Why yes, yes I am one of those guys
(and ps I'm just having a laugh it's not a serious subject)
@@ats-3693 it's an analogy, chill bro :)
The Sledgehammer was built by Reeves Callaway and driven to it’s top speed record of 255 mph by John Lingenfelter. It wasn’t built by Lingenfelter.
Oh crap. Sorry about that, I'll see if I can edit it.
Ya …..nothing alleged about it
Old Lyme Connecticut Callaway
Jhon did help build that car. And it was Decatur Indiana. at the time . awesome man RIP Jhon Lingenfelter
Was just going to say that. Callaway, not Lingenfelter. And it wasn’t “allegedly”, 254.76MPH was documented. 👍
Back in the early 90's I was lucky enough to find myself in the presence of 3 Vectors in Furnace Creek, Nevada.
I got to experience the W8 with a drive down to Bad Water.
What did I think?
It was certainly not short of power, handling was crisp, brakes were epic, wasn't to bothered about the slush box as, lets be fair, most of these types of cars are built to cruise, not to race, it was also easy to drive and comfortable surprisingly.
What I didn't like was the tech. They made huge noise about the military jet tech but in reality it was crude, fussy, difficult to read and hugely expensive. They were also very proud that it was "the only supercar in the world with an airbag" - it probably was but I can't see anyone choosing one for that reason.
There's a lot to be said about keeping certain things simple - the new Praga Bohemia is a perfect example, light weight, proven power unit and tech in the form of an IPhone / IPad, rather than bespoke design - oh and a huge racing pedigree helps.
So, if I won the lottery would I have a Vector?
Hell yes - without a shadow of a doubt.....
When people talk about the cyberpunk style (not the game), and where all those renders and cool shots of cyberpunk cars come from, I have always thought this is the car that inspired most of them.
Stacked slotted rear lights with a flat slab of a back end, Giant wing and triangular frontal profile, with a wedge nose that not only tapers vertically but horizontally as well, with an almost function over form, yet tech inspired interior.
I remember as a kid seeing an advert for the Vector in the Robb Report. I became obsessed with knowing everything about it after that. Unfortunately I couldn't find any posters of it. I always wanted to be a car designer as a kid, because of people like Mr Wigert. When the W12 was created Vector was on the verge of bankruptcy so they went public. The new stockholders fired Mr Wigert and moved production to Florida, and installed a Lamborghini engine. Mr Wigert doesn't even own any of the cars he helped to create. Thank you.
I was under the impression he does have a W8, it’s been painted different colors over the years.
It's an M12, not a W12.
Shades of Tucker.
Huh? Jerry owned the w2 prototype and 2 Avtechs until the end.
@@justgotohm4775 The w2 prototype was painted several colors and he owned it until he died.
I remember those! It was like a Countach on crack. Those trannys were highly sought after. I had one in my 71’ Charger. That thing was indestructible.
Thank God for Gran Turismo 2 introducing me to this insane a beautiful machine. Makes a Countach QV5000 look like a Toyota Camry in comparison.
To appreciate the W8 requires an acquired taste. I didn't like it when I initially saw it on a poster back in the mid 1980's as a middle school student. Everyone gawked over the Countach or F40 or 959. But now that I'm in my late 40's, I think the W8 is a masterpiece. It may not be a "purebred" super/hyper car like what Ferrari or Lambo puts out (engineer and design from head to toe), because it uses a GM small block and transmission. But it is truly a unique, "love it or hate it" type car.
The transmission choice makes sense. Toyota went with the R series transmission in the forum of the r154 for the turbocharged model of the 3rd gen supra because it could handle more power. The R series was also used in SUV's and trucks
Thanks for a great video. I posted as a possible client and made a phone call to Vector and got all kinds of cool literature and a video. Unfortunately it all got lost in a flood.
First time I’ve seen the Vector was in a movie back in the early 90’s i was fascinated ! Nothing like I’ve have ever seen before…
"Modern cars, they all look like electric shavers" Marv Sin City
You’re 100% correct about everything looking the same and almost nothing stands out or looks exciting. Happy I stumbled across your video.
One car I wish made it to the public was the Mazda Furai, it looked mean!
Very well done video! Havent seen a good video about the Vector until now.
Thank you!
I absolutely loved this car on GT2. Wish I could have one now. Looks cool as. Like a retromod or something from cyberpunk.
I remember that car back around the late 70’s I think. It was definitely like nothing I’d ever seen and the reported performance was equally impressive.
I first remember reading about the Vector W-2 when I was growing up. I hadn't thought of this in ages.
the downfall to the vector was the 3 speed automatic,they said they couldn't find a manual transmission that could handle the horsepower,but imagine if the vector would have had at least a 5 speed manual and a traditional layout with the shifter between the seats,weigert was an amazing innovator who should have found a partner to handle the buisness side,because on that side weigert was a disaster
I know a guy who owns one. He doesn't drive it at all. Pretty cool looking though when his car club all has common cars like ferrari and mclarens.
I'm in my 50's. When I was a teenager, I had vector posters in my room. I've never seen one in person. Excellent video and I totally agree with you.
Jerry was a great man. And a true innovator. Thank you for leaving this world some beautiful things! Jet bike is amazing!
Well edited video, good story telling. I remember reading about the vector in old car magazines back in the days before the modern internet. What a crazy machine!
Even the internet barely acknowledges the existence of Vector. Thanks for this!
Thank you. Finally I hear someone who understands me! Cars of yesteryear very unique not like these cookie cutter cars like today 😑
This reminds me of a great childhood memory when I was playing gran turismo 2. I stayed up all night doing a 7000 dollar prize money race because it was the only one I could beat in 1st place to get the whole 7000$. Reason was that I saw the vector m12 and I wanted the car. Bad. I stayed up doing that 7000$ race until I reached 1 million dollars and purchased with absolute delight.
I wish this car could have been featured in more films. It was awesome seeing it in 1993's Rising Sun.
Gosh - good memory! Remembered it as soon as I saw your comment, but wouldn't have thought of it unless you reminded me - I'm off to try to watch that sequence now! Domo arigato! 👍😎
Yeap that movie and the TV show Beyond 2000s were probably the only 2 mainstream (non car related) exposure oportunities that the Vector Twin Turbo had to showcase this car. I don't know that they ever made a Die-cast of any size of this car. 🤔
@@robertbonano5496 It's funny you mentioned that, because there's a Hot Wheels basic car K.I.T.T. prototype model that's out now, and I swear it looks just like the Vector W8. When you get a chance, have a look at the Hot Wheels current models.
@@wing_teletran1 Thanks for the comment. The Vector Twin Turbo and the Cizeta Moroder have been my Unicorn 🦄 cars to collect in Die-cast models! Plenty of Ferraris and Lamborghinis but looking for those two! Thanks again 😄😏
@@robertbonano5496 No problem. I hope you find one or both die-cast models!
The speech at 8:25 was so emotional. I liked the video just for that. Stay unique, be inspired, never give up 😸
Really enjoyed the trip down memory lane. Thanks! 👍🏾
I agree all modern cars look very similar. Sadly these days cars have to be design based on legislation which defines where certain features must be, then aerodynamics. With such a long list of rules to follow the end results will all be very similar.
The reason why it was so appealing back then is that it was a real existing matchbox car for the road so obviously, all kids loved it. But that's exactly the reason why the adults didn't buy it. Additionally back then a Golf GTI had 100 (ish) horses and crazy insane cars like 959, F40, Countach were in the 450hp class and then this thing showed up. Today all supercars are just so insanely powerful that some manufacturers already claim that you get faster lap times with less power.
"But that's exactly the reason why the adults didn't buy it."
OMG. Stop making shit up.
I was just going to say the Sledgmammer was by Calloway, I think LPE had input on the motor as I recall.
Great video - thanks - I really like seeing smaller channels like yours hit the nail on the head with their choice of content - over 30k views in what, just over a month? Clever stuff - best of luck with your channel😎
I saw one in Austin. I nearly crashed my car trying to look at it. The thing was so low to the ground it almost didn't look like a car.
I did all the bodywork and painting on all the W-8's, it was a great time for all.
What do you mean by "did all the bodywork" exactly? Did you laminate the body panels?
@@joevarga5982 I ran the paint and body division of the company. I did all the fit and finishing. I was also the painter of last version of W2 and all the W8’s. I left the company when Lamborghini took over.
@@consciousrealitycreator8774 So you were rounding off the edges of the fenders because Jerry thought that they were too sharp?
@@joevarga5982 there are many reasons to not have edges too sharp. Especially so on a composite car.
@@consciousrealitycreator8774 Sooo... that's a "Yes"? There are also many reasons not to do that on a molded part - like repeatability, consistency between cars, labor cost and cutting through the plies. How did you deal with the sanding right through the plies issue? If you increase the edge radius by a noticeable amount on a thin fender you'll cut right through the part.
Doug Demaro drove a W8, it was strange, but surprisingly user friendly car, which was unbelievably rare for that era.
The steering was easy, the seats were comfortable, and the air-conditioning could chase you out of the car (probably a GM unit.)
One issue it did have was that it was a bit sluggish low-down. The owner said there was probably something wrong with it, but he was unsure if he could get it fixed
I believe the A/C was by Vintage Air. They made systems for kit cars.
Holly crap!! I remember Beyond 2000! That was an awesome show!!
Vector W8 #003 was in Rising Sun... sadly 90 percent of it at night.
I agree what a cool looking car! I have seen two in person at car shows and they make everything around them look sorta tame. I have read somewhere that if you filled your vector with aircraft fuel it could make about a thousand h.p.
How would an ICE run on kerosene?
@@ridetheapex not jet fuel, more like the 130-150 octane fuel used by high performance piston plane engines
@@kevinfitzpatrick5949
Ahh, roger
Great video! Hope your channel goes viral. Fill in the black spaces with b roll. Nice NFS footage!!
I loved the Vector in period. I would buy ALL the magazines of the time and there was a good few articles about it. I even had a poster of it next to one of the Countach. And to my teenage eyes the Vector was even more outlandish.
I even saw sense in the Vector drivetrain. A big, simple, reliable American V8 boosted by twin turbos to (even now!) silly horsepower mated to a lazy but leggy 3 speed auto, what could go wrong?
The interior was a child's dream too. F15 switches, THAT info screen and Knightrider style dashboard!!! The only thing it didn't do was talk to you in a patronising manner.
Long live the 80's, long live the legend of the Vector W8!!!
RIP Gerry Weigert, the world just wasn't ready for you.
My dad saw one once, and every time the car comes up he excitedly tells me about the time he saw it. I think he also had a poster or 2 of it up in his room when he was a teenager
Everyone talks about the 80s Lamborghini's being way ahead of there time but those vectors are crazy ahead of there time
their*
Theres a guy here driving a red 1985-86 Lamborghini Countach. Turns heads, draws crowds, people running to take pictures of it at the gas station, etc. 40 years later of a 50 year old design. Your point well taken.
You should do Moser next, he made some crazy stuff too.
Props to using Street Cleaner in the video! Awesome music
Thank you gran turismo 1 & 2 for introducing this gem and plenty others to me 💪🏾
I guess this is the first I've heard of this car, unless I've forgotten! I didn't know the Spyker existed till Ed Bolian bought one. So many insane cars out there!
For fun you should look at the car roster of old games like gran turismo 2 to find more unique classic cars. This car is in there its the only reason I mention gran turismo 2
I consider myself lucky as I've seen one in Florida in a parking lot. It was amazing then, it's still amazing now.
I too saw the Ads back in the '70s. The next time I saw one was in a Chevron Commercial and just figured Chevron bought the rights to it to squelch it's production
Newest video is officially up!
It's on Saleen and the LEGENDARY S7.
Enjoy :)
Only 1 of 3 cars ever to leave my collection - other was a 70 Miura SV and the last was a Lucid Air GT Performance. The S7 looked great - but a garbage machine.
I watched some other videos on this car and yours is the best all around!
Sometime around 2001 or 2002 I saw a Vector on I 95 in South Florida and I about crashed my car looking at it.
Absolute spaceship.
Just wasn't a lot of car transmissions around meant for that kind of power and torque
Nothing wrong with the TH425, it's still a relevant transmission if you want to build a fast rear engined, GM V8 powered vehicle.
That last thing looked like it came from the origami school of design
That's a Callaway Corvette, John Lingenfelter drove it.
Well made video, thanks for the effort, it's appreciated.
I have always been intrigued by vector and other companies which went bankrupt. Wonder what the automotive world would've been if these manufacturers survived.
P.S.- Great edit though. What setup do you use?
If a car company does a similar design to others you get called a copy and if you do a crazy design you get told your trying to hard.
You need to find that sweet spot like how Pagani did with the Zonda
No wonder it was so good. It had the power plant from the EM-50 Urban Assault Vehicle. 🤪
Man I miss beyond 2000 what a great show!
I was the only kid with posters of Vectors on my walls, while everyone else had Ferraris or Lambos.
The ending of this video doesn't really make sense. You (correctly) slam modern cars for following the same formula (even referencing a C8), then praise the Apollo which is following the same design language. Cut that ending off and you have a decent Vector praise video.
When he said dash is milled aluminum and same vendors as aircraft part and assembly hardware manufacturers, it became instantly clear why this car failed.....that and the 10 yr wait, ego of creator, hideous looking rear end(you only see it 3 times in while video)
Funny I was thinking “switching from an F117, transmission from a 70’s Toronado”. That, the Andre Agassi fire, and following law suit didn’t help things. If the W8 had been a manual with normal switch gear and gauges it may have not been a failure. BTW I’ve owned some Recaro C’s used in the W8, AMG Sec, etc, etc. They look cool as hell but are absolutely garbage to live with.
I think the movie "Rising Sun" was the only one I ever saw featuring a Vector. funny they choose the GM TPI long runner intake, it tended to run out of breath after 5,000 rpm unless you used an Arizona Speed and Marine siamesed tube runners.
Voyager! I was thinking about that song earlier today, interesting.
...popular at car shows and magazines, but for some reason, very few people actually wanted to buy.
Expensive at a then $450,000.
Nice video man !
The Lambo Egoista is, in my opion, the epitomy of design!
8:58 Why is there no video?
Dude, TH-cam 101, please don’t have entirely BLANK almost minute long portions of your videos with a BLACK SCREEN and you talking over it, i almost gave up on this video multiple times because of this, and the video isn’t bad otherwise…and I agree with your premise about supercars.
TVR speed 12 also falls into this category. Unicorn car thinking out of the box
Yeah.. the aspiring takeover company brought some M12s' to Road Atlanta once, and broke transmissions on track. The use of Lambo engines was OK enough, but within 5 feet of the cars you could tell that trim was lifting and things were very very poorly made. Leftover V12 Lambo engines sat on some Florida dock for quite a while looking for a buyer when the company finally folded. Terrrible ending for such a company, that like you, I had enthusiasm for for two decades .
Want to say great video on the Vector W8 btw
I think it should be pointed out the W8 was really well made like aircraft levels of fit and finish, they had orders for 300 of them iirc and then Gerald Wiegert had investors come in a do a hostile takeover of his company and pretty much fucked him over, the guy that did it was a criminal in his own country and a bad guy all round this knowledge came out after, Gerald Wiegert then sued and got the rights back to the W8 name and plans but lost his company, the people who had vector at the time were then not allowed to produce the W8 as the rights to this was owned by Gerald Wiegert
So then they built that shitty M12 clarkson tested it and everyone forgot about how great the W8 was because i think they just thought it was one and the same.
Similar to what happened to Steve Saleen, sadly people will do anything to make money and Steve got screwed like this a couple of times.
But the W8 was way better built that any other Supercar of its time, it also did 0.97g on a skidpad so had plenty of grip, power was 600bhp+ to up to 1200bhp on race fuel, the 3 speed transmission was based on the motohome one but pretty much everything about it bar the casing iirc was custom made and really strong, Engine was a full on Race engine and could make big power.
I feel like it would have been a totally different story if Gerald Wiegert had not been swindled as the car was amazing for the time, with the power it had it would have left pretty much everything for dead until the Veyron and its like came about.
All the stuff you said around the 930 mark, is why I really like rc cars. And they're far more obtainable!
One of the most '80s cars ever
Nice I didn't realize how old that car was.
We need Vector back.
The only Problem was : The Vectors were basically pimped Corvettes and Wiegert wasn't a salesman.
I still think it's one if the sexuest cars ever made. Love it
I remember seeing the Vector W8 as kid. I thought it was the coolest car I'd ever seen.
The Vector M12 was garbage.
They used a W8 in the 1993 movie Rising Sun staring Westly Snipes and Sean Connery.
No Vector ever did 200 mph. The w2 prototype would have disintegrated at 200 mph. It was basically just a slapped-together junkpile.
So I think the reason so many super cars look similar is two fold. You can only streamline aerodynamics so far and they still need to cater to lifestyle. Its already hard enough to sell one of these cars to the 1% of the population who want basically an expensive toy for the looks. Add on there is a ton of competition out there of really good cars that can still provide style with comfort.
Like why would you buy a ford gt if you don't have a place to push it? You'd be better served with a mustang gt or a tesla. Both of those are wildly fast, cost way less and can look damn good. With the tesla being notable as a good family car while sporting many luxury additions.
It's just hard to justify going to wild on design when a lot of companies have a look that their base wants. I lo e the new look of BMW And VW. Really want a jaguar i-pace. Would put a small lift on it and take a dark interior. So sexy. But that's the thing right? I like them for their designs already. And there are plenty of companies kicking out wild looking cars. They're just not for the avg person who's looking for a nice ride. They're toys for wealthy people who want something flashy to drive a few times a year.
Worst part? There were only 19 of Vector W8 produced so the chances of you ever seeing any of those, especially outside of US, is close to none. Gems like these should be paraded as a beacon for the aspiring engineers.
We are point with cars where it's not a challenge to come up with far more power than is possible to put to the ground.The thrill is gone
I had a poster of the vector.. I was pooped out in '71.
I worked at Vector with Jerry helping to get the W8 into production. Jerry had no clue how to make any money building a car.
Sure you did
@@ApimpNamedSlickBack663 I sure did. With Jerry and David Kostka. What's your problem?
Did anyone edit this?
I had a door sized poster of the w8 vector on my wall did and still do love it and even though it's dumbest car ever I still love the countach but would buy a kit before a real one as it's probably a better car
The M12 is not his. M stands for Megatech, not Weigert.
Yes it's Wiegert's design but a company called Megatech took a hostile takeover of the company. His own company fired him.
( Similar to Apple when they fired Steve Jobs )
- The company moved to Florida from California
- Lamborghini handled it
- Few designs changed interior and exterior
- Motors were changed
- And when Top Gear drove it, it failed.
Even though he had the company back, he hasn't made any cars since he passed away in 2021.
So that is a bit disrespectful on comparing to a German hypercar. Saying is a failed company sounds like you don't know anything on American exotics.
gumpert and apollo are on crack when they designed any of these cars, they are INSANE
They make them bland so when they make something radical that stands out they can charge 30 times more. Look at the price of every "super car" I think cheapest I have seen is the 120K C8 vette. Companies like Ferrari and Lambo, Porsche etc they do NOT deserve the prices they are asking.
I still love love this car and would love to own 1
Look at Hyundai they’re trying to do a similar thing with their new prototype. I hope they’ll deliver
This poster was on my wall for some time
Tommy Soeharto destroy this company. As an indonesian i’m ashamed.
looks real cool
My Favorite car of all time...
Ive seen one in Beverly hills driving around
Obviously this guy has never seen a Koeniseg or a Pagani when it comes to super car design.
I think there's something not right with both, looking at the dimensions. Like the McLaren. That cockpit is simply placed to far to the front. That's my opinion, don't be mad.
Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but I see those two cars and think: "Meh."
Looks like a Lamborghini to me.