Vector WX-3

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Vector WX-3

The Vector WX-3 is a prototype automobile created by Vector Motors of Wilmington, California in 1992. Founder Gerald Wiegert planned for it to have a range of engines up to a 1000 hp (746 kW) 7.0L DOHC V8 motor, but the full series of engines was never completed. If the top-of-the-line engine had been completed, Vector projected that it could have been fine-tuned to reach speeds at over 253 mph (407 km/h). Instead, the WX-3 used the same Rodeck resleevable turbocharged V8 from the W8.

The WX-3 cost $1 million to build, and could be considered Wiegert's dream car^{[citation needed]}. Most of the flaws that plagued the W8 were worked out in the WX-3. Wiegert planned for the WX-3 to go in production, but Megatech bought Vector and fired Wiegert. Wiegert initiated several lawsuits and copyrighted the designs, stamping out any hopes of the WX-3 of going to production without his approval. Originally painted silver, the WX-3 Coupe prototype was later re-painted in the teal color it bears today.

Wiegert had also planned a roadster version of the WX-3, named the WX-3R, which would have shared all its mechanical components with its closed top cousin. Like the model it was based on, the WX-3R did not pass the prototype stage. Both versions were shown at the 1993 Geneva Auto Show.