Vector W8 Twin Turbo and other toys.

[RichardAJB]

Great thread; thank you to the OP for taking the time & trouble to introduce us to his car & an event in automotive history.

I've been a fan for years since I first read about the W8 in CAR magazine & vividly remember the comments made about the comparative Italian & German "crap". Given the advanced aerospace technologies used by the car, I can see where Jerry was coming from now.

Although I'll never get to own a real one, the black 1:18 scale Ricko W8 I have in my collection is a keeper!

Looking forward to the book; put me down for a copy.

A coupe of further points from my now-dimmed memory banks that haven't-yet been mentioned:

What is the truth behind the reported "shoot-out" at the original factory, I assume at the time of the hostile take-over?

I read that another famous owner was Andre Agassi; didn't he own a yellow W8 trimmed with Ostrich skin? I also seem to remember he took delivery early of the car & "cooked" the engine.

[Vectorw8015]

UnluckyTimmeh said:

What are the button all down the sill/side of the seat?

I’m guessing seat adjustment and it look like mirror adjustment? But what are the others?

Many thanks for all the info so far. It’s fascinating

Buttons on the sill side of the seat are for the mirrors and the windows.

[Vectorw8015]

RichardAJB said:

Great thread; thank you to the OP for taking the time & trouble to introduce us to his car & an event in automotive history.

I've been a fan for years since I first read about the W8 in CAR magazine & vividly remember the comments made about the comparative Italian & German "crap". Given the advanced aerospace technologies used by the car, I can see where Jerry was coming from now.

Although I'll never get to own a real one, the black 1:18 scale Ricko W8 I have in my collection is a keeper!

Looking forward to the book; put me down for a copy.

A coupe of further points from my now-dimmed memory banks that haven't-yet been mentioned:

What is the truth behind the reported "shoot-out" at the original factory, I assume at the time of the hostile take-over?

I read that another famous owner was Andre Agassi; didn't he own a yellow W8 trimmed with Ostrich skin? I also seem to remember he took delivery early of the car & "cooked" the engine.

No actual shoot out or gun fire, just armed guards posted at each building to keep out Megatech personnel during the hostile takeover.

Andre had a few hours of ownership with a W8. He purchased car 005 which internally was later referred to as 014A after it was repaired.
He and his brother had a infamous run in the car which was not finished (had a 2 core shop radiator in it while waiting for the production part).
We provided a refund and he never took delivery of the car after it was finished. The current owner loves the car and he is in Florida. The car is Black.

012 the Yellow car with Ostrich skin leather was originally spec'ed and delivered to a pharmaceutical giant in Texas, Later sold to Wayne S. in Florida, who did some very strange things to the car. It was then sold to Tony T. In California who did a whole bunch more to it taking it even further from original. He then sold it to a Gentleman in Italy. The car is now being slowly restored by him back to its original glory.

Edited by Vectorw8015 on Thursday 14th March 16:34

Edited by Vectorw8015 on Thursday 14th March 16:34

[Vectorw8015]

Finally got a copy of Haggarty the magazine. It was a good little article on Jerry and a nice spotlight for Bills car. A good read.

[W8]

W-8 on display at Hagerty Insurance Corporate headquarters in Traverse City Michigan, alongside latest Koenigsegg and Mclaren GT

[Vectorw8015]

Out for a moment to swap spaces on the lift in the garage for her annual oil change and prep for the Concourse at the Inn at St. John on July 28th.

[Vectorw8015]

[Gary C]

Vectorw8015 said:

Amazing how the design has matured.

Even the rear view which wasnt my favorite at the time, now looks great.

Must be a real pleasure to own.

[Vectorw8015]

Gary C said:

Amazing how the design has matured.

Even the rear view which wasnt my favorite at the time, now looks great.

Must be a real pleasure to own.

Hi Gary,

I have been in love with the car from concept to fruition and still to this day it captivates my heart. I have never grown tired of looking at it. Every angle brings something new. She is a joy to own and I have been very happy with her over all these years.

[K50 DEL]

Our very own desertdog is currently performing works on John's old W8 in Dubai.
I've pointed him in the direction of this thread so hopefully he may pop along and update with some of his pics.

[Vectorw8015]

Had a really fun time last weekend at the Concours d'Elegance of America showing the Vector. She did pretty well for her first Concourse taking 1st place in our category.

[Vectorw8015]

K50 DEL said:

Our very own desertdog is currently performing works on John's old W8 in Dubai.
I've pointed him in the direction of this thread so hopefully he may pop along and update with some of his pics.

Hi K50, do you know what he is doing to 007?

[K50 DEL]

Vectorw8015 said:

K50 DEL said:

Our very own desertdog is currently performing works on John's old W8 in Dubai.
I've pointed him in the direction of this thread so hopefully he may pop along and update with some of his pics.

Hi K50, do you know what he is doing to 007?

I don't I'm afraid and privacy laws being what they are in that part of the world I think it'd be tough to find out sadly.

[Bright Halo]

The W8 has aged very well, if anything it looks even more futuristic now.
The only thing that really dates it is the wheels. Would love to see it with something a bit more modern on.

Loving this thread.

[Vectorw8015]

A few more photos from the Concours.

[Vectorw8015]

[matrignano]

Vectorw8015 said:

012 the Yellow car with Ostrich skin leather was originally spec'ed and delivered to a pharmaceutical giant in Texas, Later sold to Wayne S. in Florida, who did some very strange things to the car. It was then sold to Tony T. In California who did a whole bunch more to it taking it even further from original. He then sold it to a Gentleman in Italy. The car is now being slowly restored by him back to its original glory.

Edited by Vectorw8015 on Thursday 14th March 16:34

Edited by Vectorw8015 on Thursday 14th March 16:34

Congrats on the prize!

Curious to know what "strange things" have been done to 012, could you elaborate?

[Vectorw8015]

matrignano said:

Congrats on the prize!

Curious to know what "strange things" have been done to 012, could you elaborate?

When the car was owned by Wayne he wanted the fastest Vector W8 on the planet (not realizing the cars top speed is gearing limited). Not being tech savvy he took the car to his favorite Porsche dealer in Florida for modifications. They promptly said yes and did things like swap out Fuel Injectors, Put in a HKS EVC, (which we already included in the car from the factory just integrated in to the dash) they then cut the leather below the dash to the left and inserted the EVC controller officially giving the car two boost controllers. They pulled all of the heat shields off the engine, They pulled the Indy style bellow's exhaust manifolds off and replaced them with cheap headers. They then couldn't tune the car to run properly and it was found on the side of the road several times in Florida due to fouled plugs. Everyone then associated that with Vector W8's breaking down. They also modified the inlet pipe to the intake manifold and added a rather large blow off valve (possibly a TIAL) and they polished the intake runners and other items that were not originally that way from the factory.

Wayne sold the car to Tony and the mess went further. David provided a quote to Tony to get the car back to stock and he promptly turned around and took the car to his favorite Hummer dealer in California (Because they were experts on Vector's....not) they promptly dropped the drive line out of the car and disassembled the engine and decided to rebuild it their way. At this time I have no idea what is inside the engine from an original parts perspective. They put it all back together and dropped the car off with Tony, not having solved a single issue and charged him a ton of money. The car still didnt run properly. Tony then sold the car.


Attached is a shot of my engine which is 100% factory original.

Below that is the engine bay of 012 which you can see the valve covers are incorrect and a lot of items have been changed. Fittings on the Oil vent hose and many other items are incorrect. Its the details that count. Knowing what to look for under the bonnet you will see that 012 is much different that she was when she left the factory.

Edited by Vectorw8015 on Friday 23 August 17:04

Edited by Vectorw8015 on Friday 23 August 17:08

Edited by Vectorw8015 on Friday 23 August 17:10

Edited by Vectorw8015 on Friday 23 August 17:14

Edited by Vectorw8015 on Friday 23 August 17:29

Edited by Vectorw8015 on Friday 23 August 17:32

[Vectorw8015]

Updated photos for the comparison of the two engine bays 012 and 015.

[selondonman]

is the vector the best unloved supercar ?