The first vector W8 Twin Turbo, chassis #001, is for sale

The trailer brings the first 1990 Vector W8 Twin Turbo, a real American supercar auctioned from the hapless Vector Aeromotive company.

The vector was the brainchild of the late Jerry Weigert, an inventor who claimed to have come up with ingenious ideas for four-wheeled ATVs and jet skis. Dreaming of an American supercar that could compete with European brands, Wiegert presented the first vector concept in 1972. However, it took about 20 years to raise the necessary funds to start building the first production model, the W8.

The car listed at the auction — Chassis #001— is one of 3 of 17 W8S (plus 2 prototypes) that Vector has manufactured at its Wilmington, California facility over a 1 year period. The car body is built around a joined, riveted aluminum semi-monocoque chassis made from a combination of kevlar, fiberglass and other composite materials.

The W8, as the name of the car suggests, features an aluminum 6.0-liter V-8 with twin turbochargers. The lateral mid-mount engine was estimated to make 625 hp and 630lb-ft of torque in the period road & track tests. Its power is sent to the rear wheels through the 3-speed automatic transaxles.

The Vector W8 Chassis #001 was originally sold to members of the Saudi Royal Family, but instead it was collected directly from the 1990 New York Auto Show., It spent several years in Switzerland before being moved to Los Angeles which was purchased by its current owner in 1999. It was then moved to Arizona and eventually to Michigan.

The car now wears a reproduction 16-inch wheel that is said to have been made by former Vector Vice President of engineering David Kostka in the style of the factory's 17-inch wheel (which is also included in the sale). The original digital instrument cluster is pixelated, but contains alternatives. A faulty cluster means the odometer is unreadable, but the seller estimates 1,700 miles under current ownership.

As for the Vector, the company went under control in 1993 and was taken over by the Indonesian company MegaTech, which also purchased a Lamborghini and used the Italian automaker's 5.7-liter V-12 in the new Vector M12. Wiegert was no longer involved at that time.

Vector planned at least three more supercars to follow the first M12 coupe, including lifestyle vehicles like the M12 Targa, front-engine 2+2 hard-top Convertible, and El Camino. But they never made it out of a drawing board. Vector ran out of money and built a handful of M12S before eventually shutting down for good.