Back in the 1990s, if you coveted the ultimate American supercar, you bought yourself a Vector W8 from Jerry Weigart’s California-based Vector Aeromotive. The model features fighter-jet styling and construction comprising carbon fiber, honeycomb-configured aluminum, and Kevlar. It’s also fit with a 625 hp, mid-mounted twin-turbo V-8 engine.
With a zero-to-60 mph time of around 4.0 seconds and a 12-second quarter-mile time, it outpaces any Ferrari Testarossa, Lamborghini Countach, or Jaguar XJ220 of the day. Only 17 examples of the Vector W8 were built, each priced at $450,000.
The 1993 Vector Avtech WX-3 Prototype Coupe is now available through Canepa, which is based in Scotts Valley, Calif.
Sadly, the WX-3 never made it into production. A hostile takeover attempt by main investor Megatech—backed by the Indonesian government—locked Weigart in legal battles, which he ultimately lost. The only consolation was that he retained ownership of the WX-3 design and the two prototypes—the coupe and an undeveloped roadster version, also shown at Geneva in 1993.
Weigart kept both prototypes in his collection for over 25 years, though rarely showed them. Then, in 2019, two years before his death, he decided to sell, entrusting RM Sotheby’s to find a buyer. The two cars were acquired by well-known Miami supercar collector and prolific Instagrammer Kris Singh.
The fighter-jet-inspired interior of the WX-3 Coupe features billet-machined switches and a computer screen instead of traditional instruments.
After spending more than $300,000 with Connecticut-based restorer Miller Motorsports for a full mechanical and interior makeover of the coupe, Singh also spent a reported $116,000 upgrading the roadster. Singh subsequently sold them to a mystery buyer in Europe for an undisclosed sum. Last summer, the new buyer entered the two cars in RM Sotheby’s Monterey auction, with an estimate for each vehicle set between $1.3 million and $1.5 million. Both failed to sell.
The latest chapter in the story of the two Vector WX-3 Prototypes is that Canepa—a purveyor of exotic and classic automobiles—has just added the cars to its burgeoning inventory in Scotts Valley, Calif., and is looking for buyers.
