No, I don't own one.. But I've been a Vector fanatic since waaaaaay back... :-) For years, I would buy any magazine that had any reference at all to Vector Aeromotive in it's pages.. I scoured the local library's newspaper section on a regular basis for any news stories about the car and the company.. If there was an exotic car calendar that had a Vector in it, you could be pretty sure I was going to buy it.. When the car was a story on the show "Beyond 2000" and others, if I knew about it I was recording it.. Heck I even ordered a Press Kit from Vector which had press releases, company information, detailed specifications on the car, and a promotional video.. When I say I was a fanatic, I'm not kidding! :-)
When Vector was showing one of the first production W8 TwinTurbos at the Chicago Auto Show a number of years ago, I had the good fortune to be there also.. In fact I spent almost my entire time at the show hanging around the the Vector area.. The crowd around the Vector area was huge as people watched a promotional video playing on large monitors.. Some onlookers took pictures, and some asked the Vector employees working the area the inevitable questions of "what is it" "how fast does it go" and "how much does it cost." I moved around the area, almost unable to believe that just feet away was this amazing vehicle on it's rotating waist-high pedestal.. There was also a bare chassis on display, showing the hand-built skeleton that helped the Vector W8 to pass every US automotive crash and crush test with often huge margins..
Gerald Wiegert, the man who founded the company and designed the car, was there also, but more in the background than right up with the crowd.. The time for me to leave the show was approaching as I stood on one side of the Vector area.. I asked one of the people working the area if there was any way to buy an autographed poster.. He went and talked to Mr. Wiegert who came over with a poster.. He seemed pleasant and made conversation with me as he signed the poster.. It surprised me that he would notice the small pin I was wearing on my jacket pocket, let alone would take the time to ask me about it.. He gave the poster to me, I thanked him and he went back about his business.. There have been many things said about how he ran the company and of course I wasn't there, but as far as I'm concerned, Vector lost it's special appeal when Mr. Wiegert left.
On the left is a "family" picture with four of the Vector models. The W8, Avtech, Avtech Spyder, and M12 (which was introduced after Weigert had been forced out). On the right is the new model that was going to be produced, the Chevy-V8 powered Vector SRV8. At last news report though, the company is once again without financial backing and therefore practically speaking, is shut down.
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