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WX-3 Twin Turbo
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  Vector WX-3 Twin Turbo      

  Article Specifications  
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Country of origin:United States
Produced in:1993
Numbers built:1
Introduced at:1993 Geneva Motor Show
Designed by:Gerald Wiegert
Predecessor:Vector W8 Twin Turbo
Author:Wouter Melissen
Last updated:May 04, 2011
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Click here to download printer friendly versionNearly a decade in the making, the Vector W8 production car finally entered production in 1989. The angular supercar was the brainchild of American designer and entrepreneur Gerald Wiegert and was aimed squarely at the likes of Ferrari and Lamborghini.

Despite the long gestation period, the twin-turbo V8 engined W8 was plagued with teething problems and long delivery delays. In the media the Vector name was soon tainted not in the least because tennis star Andre Agassi had his $445,000 purchase price returned after his new Vector W8 broke down completely.

Wiegert nevertheless soldiered on and at the 1993 Geneva Motor Show he introduced a brand new model both in coupe and roadster form. Dubbed the WX-3, the new machines bore some similarities to the ill-fated predecessors but with much softer lines. The Roadster featured a very low windshield.

At the Geneva launch, Wiegert announced that the WX-3 would be available with a choice of three twin-turbo engine configurations. Based on GM's V8, these ranged from the 600 bhp base model to the top of the range version that produced 1200 bhp. It is believed that the Roadster used the W8 based 600 bhp V8 and the Coupe the 'medium' performance 800 bhp variant.

Upon his return from Europe, Wiegert found himself shut out of the company he founded by primary investors Megatech. The Indonesian company also owned Lamborghini at the time and had distinctly different plans for Vector's future; the M12, which effectively was a re-bodied Lamborghini Diablo.

Wiegert's departure from Vector brought a premature end to the development of the WX-3 and only the two prototypes were eventually built. The American entrepreneur switched to building personal watercrafts under the Aquajet name. In 2007 he managed to regain control of Vector and announced the all-new, 1850 bhp WX-8 at the LA Auto Show but little has been heard of it since.

Today both WX-3s are still in the ownership of Gerald Wiegert and to celebrate his return to Vector, he brought the two prototypes out to several events including The Quail, a Motorsports Gathering.

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  Article Specifications