About Vector
Vector Motors Corporation is an automobile manufacturer originally based in Wilmington, California. Its history can be traced to Vehicle Design Force which was founded in 1971 by Gerald Wiegert. Vehicle production began in 1989 and ceased in the 1990s. The company was recently revived (as Vector Motors Corporation), and is currently developing a new supercar. Vector is credited as America's first attempt to compete with European performance car manufacturers like Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Lotus.
Origin
In 1971, Gerald Wiegert, fresh from college, founded a design house called Vehicle Design Force, and teamed up with Lee Brown to create a new car called The Vector. The Vector was said to have various powerplants including a DOHC Porsche engine and it would only cost US$10,000. None of these plans came to fruition though, and while Wiegert planned production, it never happened. All that came of The Vector was an empty shell that was displayed at the Los Angeles Auto Show. Lee Brown left the design team shortly thereafter, and after The Vector was featured on the cover of Motor Trend magazine in 1972. Wiegert renamed Vehicle Design Force to Vector Aeromotive after work began on a new project, the Vector W2.
The Vector W2
In 1978, Wiegert created another car, called the W2. Like the first car, it was immobile at the time of its show debut, but in 1979, he got the car running. During its lifespan, it got over 100,000 miles (160,000 km) on its odometer, the most of any concept yet.
The W2 was well loved by many magazines, and it was extensively tested by Motor Trend magazine and the British automotive television program Top Gear. However, Top Gear was ordered to not perform a top speed test on it, even though Vector claimed it was capable of 230 mph.
