 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Automotive |
| Founded | 1971 |
| Founder | Gerald Wiegert |
| Defunct | 2021 |
| Headquarters | Wilmington, California |
Key people |
|
| Products | Automobiles |
| Revenue | unknown |
| Website | www.vectormotors.com |
Vector Motors Corporation was an American automobile manufacturer originally based in Wilmington, California. Its history can be traced to Vehicle Design Force, which was founded in 1978 by Gerald Wiegert.[2] Vehicle production by Vector Aeromotive began in 1989 and ceased in 1993. The company was later revived as Vector Motors Corporation, and has continued to develop sports cars. When founded, Vector represented America's first attempt to compete with European performance car manufacturers such as Ferrari and Lamborghini.[3] Altogether around 50 Vector sports car models were developed and produced during the 1980s and 1990s including some racing versions mostly built using American made components.
Nearly every car produced by the company is designated the letter "W" (for Wiegert) and a number. A letter "X" after the W (e.g. WX-8) signifies a prototype unit.
In August 2018 it was reported that the company was still actively developing an entirely new vehicle, the WX-8, a vehicle positioned in the colloquially named "hypercar" category, which it first announced and presented a prototype model of back in 2007.[4]
Founder, principal owner, chief executive, lead designer and engineer Jerry Wiegert died in January 2021 aged 76,[5] leaving the fate of the company and corporate entity in question. The Wilmington facility along with the warehouse that stored materials and inventory has since been cleared out.[6] As of Fall 2021 the company's official internet website is also no longer in operation with its domain registration left expired.
- ^ "Company Information". Vector Motors. Retrieved August 17, 2018.
- ^ "Vector Aeromotive Corporation - Corporate Backgrounder", The Vector Aeromotive Corporation, prepared by Kalmann Communications, 1990, contributed by the Vector Aeromotive Corporation
- ^ "American Supercars". Top Gear America. The History Channel. November 2013.
Born in 1990, the W8 was the first U.S. supercar that could compete with the likes of Lamborghini and Ferrari
- ^ Szymkowski, Sean (August 11, 2018). "America's Vector wants to build a new WX8 hypercar". Motor Authority. Retrieved August 17, 2018.
- ^ "Creator of the American-Made Vector Supercar Has Died".
- ^ "How Vector Aeromotive's Ambitious History Was Relegated to the Dumpster". 25 May 2021.