Rare Rides: The 1996 Vector M12, an Elusive Supercar (Part I)
Which elite-class supercar features the marker lights from a Miata, rear lamps from a Cavalier, and the steering wheel of a Mustang? There’s only one answer: The Vector M12.
The Vector Motors Corporation had a tumultuous history. Founded under the name Vehicle Design Force in 1971, Gerald Wiegert had a dream: to build an American supercar. Teaming up with an auto body expert, the company’s Vector showed up in prototype form at the LA Auto Show in 1976. In 1977 the company was renamed Vector Aeromotive and the first Vector design was scrapped in favor of a new one, the W2.
The W2 concept debuted in 1978 and was in working format by 1979. Tested by all the big car mags of the day, the W2 had a theoretical top speed of 230 miles an hour. And yet production never started, even though the lone W2 racked up over 100,000 miles on its odometer. Things went quiet for a while.
A decade later, Vector started actual production of an evolved version of the W2 called the W8. Under the wedged aerodynamic body was a twin-turbo small block Chevrolet V8, paired with an automatic Oldsmobile transmission. Hand-built, production of the W2 was slow, and an asking price of $455,000 kept many orders away. Between 1989 and 1993, 22 W8s came to fruition.
Vector developed a revised W8 called the WX-3 in the early Nineties, building two total examples. Around the same time, the company caught the eye of an Indonesian named Tommy Suharto. Mr. Suharto happened to be wealthy, and also the son of a dictator. He owned a company called MegaTech, which quickly purchased a controlling interest in Vector. Unwillingly under new ownership, the board officially asked Wiegert to step down from the leadership of the company he founded. He refused and proceeded to lock down Vector’s headquarters, which resulted in his termination.
MegaTech-owned Vector moved its HQ from California to Florida, as the Floridian building was still owned by former founder Weigert. There, Vector shared space with another company MegaTech owned: Lamborghini. Jointly, Vector and Lamborghini used the WX-3 as foundation for an all-new car, the M12. The new car was powered by the 5.7-liter V12 from a Lamborghini Diablo. M12 production began in Florida in 1995, and the new Vector made its debut at the 1996 edition of NAIAS.
Shortly after, it went on sale officially to an excited (or perhaps unaware) American public. But that’s not the end of Vector’s story; stay tuned for Part II.
[Images: RM Sotheby’s]
Interested in lots of cars and their various historical contexts. Started writing articles for TTAC in late 2016, when my first posts were QOTDs. From there I started a few new series like Rare Rides, Buy/Drive/Burn, Abandoned History, and most recently Rare Rides Icons. Operating from a home base in Cincinnati, Ohio, a relative auto journalist dead zone. Many of my articles are prompted by something I'll see on social media that sparks my interest and causes me to research. Finding articles and information from the early days of the internet and beyond that covers the little details lost to time: trim packages, color and wheel choices, interior fabrics. Beyond those, I'm fascinated by automotive industry experiments, both failures and successes. Lately I've taken an interest in AI, and generating "what if" type images for car models long dead. Reincarnating a modern Toyota Paseo, Lincoln Mark IX, or Isuzu Trooper through a text prompt is fun. Fun to post them on Twitter too, and watch people overreact. To that end, the social media I use most is Twitter, @CoreyLewis86. I also contribute pieces for Forbes Wheels and Forbes Home.
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The looks have stood the test of time.
I would rather have a Diablo or a Noble M12 than this. The styling is a mish-mash. The prototype and W8 had character at least.