Vector

The 1990s arrived and the world seemed to have had enough of the status quo of Ferrari, Lamborghini and Porsche at the top of the supercar heap. The effort to bring down the establishment appeared to be a concerted effort, as manufacturers from Asia, the U.S., and the rest of Europe looked to shake up the supercar space simultaneously. There were certainly different approaches to this goal, for example, with the Honda pioneering the ‘everyday supercar’ movement with its NSX; producing a high-performance supercar which was also reliable, comfortable and refined – a combination of characteristics simply unheard of at the time. Using the aforementioned as a template, others such as McLaren with its F1 would then take that philosophy to the next level.

An American Tale

Then we have Vector Aeromotive Corporation, who added their relatively lesser-known American flavor to this mix. Founded by industry veteran Gerald Wiegert in Wilmington, California, this company, through the production of its Vector W8 Twin Turbo, would make its entrance into the automotive establishment with a manner which would be fittingly described as “shock and awe”. 

This was probably the only tactic that Wiegert could employ, knowing very well that he could not rely on brand heritage or prestige to make a statement. “The idea is to build a reputation, not ride on one,” said Wiegert, acutely conscientious as to what this journey would entail. This message resonated enough to garner some enthusiasm within the right circles – and more importantly some investors – so the company was able to raise more than $13 million USD of capital and expand their operations into a 35,000 square foot facility.

Below we share with you the limited model history of Vector Motors and why we wish it had managed to stay the course. We need more Vector Motors types in the world.

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.