Vector W8 reviewed by Doug DeMuro

[gsxr]

I literally had a W8 poster on my bedroom wall as a teenager.

If only the powertrain was reliable enough to live up to the hype. One of the reasons there is almost zero test data is because no magazine was ever able to put a W8 through the wringer with data acquisition instruments attached. They kept having mechanical failures. Most of the reported performance numbers were estimates, not actuals. That said, if the original engine was modified with modern EFI & computer controls, it could be a beast. Well, within the limits of the GM 3-speed.

I didn't know about the fighter jet style display, that is really cool, and ahead of its time. But it needed the HUD as well, I wonder if that was broken, or not yet implemented? I was surprised Doug didn't recognize Recaro Classic seats, lol. The one thing I'd lose are those hideous wipers - keep Rain-X on the front glass and don't drive it (on purpose) in the rain. I bet the custom 18" wheels cost more than I've paid for any vehicle, ever...

PS: You can watch the first video at 2x speed to cut it to 20 mins. Also check out the 10-minute driving video.


W8 review - watchable at 2x speed:

Driving experience (10 mins):

 

[Glen]

I just watched the driving experience video last night. It really needs a modern drivetrain!

 

[gsxr]

I just watched the driving experience video last night. It really needs a modern drivetrain!

The motor could probably be updated with newer, faster-spooling turbos, and maybe some other tidbits which have improved since the 80's. But yeah, that transmission could be swapped out for something else. I'd like to see how it's packaged underneath. Oh, and a water-to-air IC circuit might help... I can see heat soak being a problem with the air-to-air setup.

Jlaa can handle the ICE upgrades with fancy time alignments and period-correct Polk Audio Mobile SDA (or Boston Acoustics) drivers.

 

[Glen]

It looked like a transverse engine installation so a Cadillac Northstar setup should swap in fairly easily. Or even better would be changing to a longitudinal drivetrain from brand new C8!

 

[Jlaa]

I literally had a W8 poster on my bedroom wall as a teenager.

If only the powertrain was reliable enough to live up to the hype. One of the reasons there is almost zero test data is because no magazine was ever able to put a W8 through the wringer with data acquisition instruments attached. They kept having mechanical failures. Most of the reported performance numbers were estimates, not actuals. That said, if the original engine was modified with modern EFI & computer controls, it could be a beast. Well, within the limits of the GM 3-speed.

I didn't know about the fighter jet style display, that is really cool, and ahead of its time. But it needed the HUD as well, I wonder if that was broken, or not yet implemented? I was surprised Doug didn't recognize Recaro Classic seats, lol. The one thing I'd lose are those hideous wipers - keep Rain-X on the front glass and don't drive it (on purpose) in the rain. I bet the custom 18" wheels cost more than I've paid for any vehicle, ever...

PS: You can watch the first video at 2x speed to cut it to 20 mins. Also check out the 10-minute driving video.


W8 review - watchable at 2x speed:

Driving experience (10 mins):

Things that are so cool to 80s-me:

• Transmission shift lever that you have to pull up to move!
• I don't think those are GM window switches. Are those BMW window switches?
• I loved all the switches / amber CRT screen to the left of the steering wheel all mounted on panels secured with allen head hardware.
• Love that fighter-jet-eque vertical ribbon style speedo/tach/aux gauges
• A/D/S speakers!
• Circuit Breakers!!!
• Love love love the center stack. That's pretty much 80s-me ideal electronics stack with that classic Sony DIN headunit, and 1/2 DIN graphic EQ. And the 1/2 DIN Cassette Deck! Holy Grail!!!!! But Only Dolby B, no Dolby C.
• Love the Cruise Control buttons "enable" and "Inhibit". hahahahahahahahahah.

 

[Harv]

I'm really surprised that this car isn't a giant hunk of junk. I thought it would be a mess of broken GM stuff and one-off stuff that never worked right from the beginning, but I was delighted to see everything worked.

 

[sheward]

I remember reading the magazine reviews and how they could not get the car to function for the tests. I never have liked "edgy" designs however the current selection of Cadillacs, lambos, Corvetts, etc. could make the designer of this car look like a visionary to some..

drew

 

[Jlaa]

I remember reading the magazine reviews and how they could not get the car to function for the tests. I never have liked "edgy" designs however the current selection of Cadillacs, lambos, Corvetts, etc. could make the designer of this car look like a visionary to some..

drew

Cybertruck = Vector updated for 2021

 

[gsxr]

C&D test report:

The Time We Tested a Vector W8 Highlights Why We Test Cars in the First Place

From the archive: We bring back this 2017 story in memory of Vector founder Gerald Wiegert, who has died at age 76.

www.caranddriver.com

The Time We Tested a Vector W8 Highlights Why We Test Cars in the First Place
We work hard to not let our optimism outweigh our skepticism.

CSABA CSERE
DEC 2, 2017

From the December 2017 issue:

Before the word “vaporware” existed, there was the Vector. The promises were big, the styling jaw-dropping, and a drivable production car elusive. That’s the thing about vaporware—it’s all too easy to be seduced by a great-looking body and assurances that it works as advertised. Vector struggled to build a production car in the ’80s, but the W2 prototype enjoyed supercar mystique and street cred nonetheless. C/D was guilty of helping to foster that image. It started with a story in our December 1980 issue in which then associate editor Larry Griffin heaped praise on the car and its creator, Gerald Wiegert. But Griffin never drove the Vector. Arty shots on a dry lake bed helped make a car years away seem real.

The publicity that ensued made us Wiegert’s best friend, but we never got a test car. Wiegert was a gifted designer who had drawn a remarkable shape, and his creation employed top-drawer components. But the ’80s passed without the car coming together.

And then, in early 1991, we got a call. The company trucked two W8 TwinTurbos, which is what Vector called the production version of the W2, to our photoshoot. With a claimed 625 ponies from its twin-turbo 6.0-liter small-block V-8, the car indeed felt strong. But after we completed a few passes for photos, the red engineering prototype ground to a halt, its three-speed GM transmission having decided to stop sending torque to the rear wheels. We jumped into a gray prototype to head over to our desert test site, but even the tests that are easy on the engine (braking, top-gear, and skidpad) spiked the water temperature to 250 degrees. After cooling it for a few hours and adding water, we tried an acceleration run, which overheated the car and led to heavy engine knock.

Vector mechanics worked on the car the next day. We got in it again, and the engine started frying during the five-minute evening drive to an unofficial test venue, the nearby Terminal Island Freeway. With a flight the next morning, it appeared that we would not be testing the Vector. Wiegert desperately wanted a successful run. We told him to call if he got the car sorted.

At 2:30 a.m., the phone rang. Wiegert said his car was ready. We headed to Pershing Drive, a north-south road between LAX and the beach. The red Vector ran strong, stayed cool, and managed 60 mph in 3.8 seconds and a 12.0-second quarter at 118 mph. But all was not well. It may have gone faster, but the trans wouldn’t shift into top gear, the engine was hitting a rev limiter short of its indicated 7000-rpm redline, and reverse disappeared. That was as close as we ever got to testing a Vector.

Building a car is hard, and big promises make the nearly impossible even harder. We would love to see cars like the Vector succeed, but we work hard to not let our optimism outweigh our skepticism of unverified claims. It’s why we don’t accept any manufacturer’s numbers as gospel. It’s also why we rigorously evaluate more than 700 cars a year. Don’t believe the hype until it’s driven and tested. The bigger the numbers, the harder they fall.

Specifications
VEHICLE TYPE: mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 2-passenger, 2-door coupe
PRICE AS TESTED: $421,270 (base price: $421,270)
ENGINE TYPE: twin-turbocharged and intercooled pushrod 16-valve V-8, aluminum block and heads, port fuel injection
Displacement: 364 cu in, 5972 cc
Power: 625 hp @ 5700 rpm
Torque: 630 lb-ft @ 4900 rpm
TRANSMISSION: 3-speed automatic with manual shifting mode
DIMENSIONS:
Wheelbase: 103.0 in
Length: 172.0 in
Width: 76.0 in Height: 42.5 in
Passenger volume: 50 cu ft
Trunk volume: 5 cu ft
Curb weight: 3680 lb
C/D TEST RESULTS:
Zero to 60 mph: 3.8 sec
Zero to 100 mph: 8.3 sec
Zero to 120 mph: 12.4 sec
Standing ¼-mile: 12.0 sec @ 118 mph
Top speed (mfr's claim): 218 mph
Braking, 70-0 mph: 191 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.91 g
FUEL ECONOMY:
EPA combined/city/hwy: 8/7/10 mpg
*Specs and results, May 1991.

 

[ace10]

A drinking game of merely sipping a beer whenever he said "crazy" or "insane" would have you bombed by the mid point of the video.

He's not my cup of tea. But I get that he's popular.

 

[Gatorblue92]

So many quirks and features!

 

[alabbasi]

UK is full of odd ball car manufactures like this. It's called the cottage car industry. I might be getting old but when I look at this car, I have no idea how or why it cost $400k + in 1991. It looks kind of crappy
Still, it's nice to know that the turbo 400 costs $400 to rebuild in your $400k supercar.

 

[036]

Vector is a legend. Actualy for me absolutely doesn´t matter if the engine is robust or ride is fine. I don´t care. Looks are everything =))

 

[Eno]

The fuses or circuit breakers are exactly as in an Airbus A320 behind the flight crew.
Beautiful