How a Man Built a Supercar Out of Fighter Jets

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#Supercar #Vector #lamborghini

Jerry proudly shows off every bit and piece of his new production supercar,
The newly crowned Vector W8.

The W8’s new race-bred Rodeck engine now makes an impressive 625 horsepower.
It has forged pistons and stainless steel internals.

The engine is fed by two Garret Turbos with adjustable boost.
A knob inside allows you to change from 8 to 14 PSi,
And Jerry claims they’d measured 1200 horsepower at the highest setting.

The engine powers a stealth fighter body made of carbon fiber and kevlar,
Held together by over 5,000 aerospace grade rivets.
All wrapped around an aluminum honeycomb monocoque.

The car has massive brakes and sits atop custom made Michelin tires.

And yes, it still has a 3-speed out of an old camper.
But Jerry promises it’s better now.

Every part of it uniquely Vector,
Every piece made in America,
Every box stamped with military specs.

Jerry proclaims that it makes the F40 look like a fiberglass toy,
That it’s 248 mile per hour top speed makes the 959 obsolete.

It has GPS, a car phone, sequential shifting with no clutch, and of course those fighter jet gauges.

It is America’s first true supercar,
It is the world’s most advanced machine,
And it is the fastest car ever built. Period.

This is THE SQUIDD, a channel devoted to telling boring stories BOLDLY. Automotive icons, car company calamities, supercar legends and underdog heroes. All told through the lens of The Squidd, automotive content creator famous for being a dude with bad hair.

Follow us everywhere!

CREDITS:

Writer: Ken Steinberger

Editors:
Dhananjay Singh
Alex Anastasakis

Music Used in Order of Appearance:
Digital Future - Christoffer Moe Ditlevsen
Safeword (Instrumental Version) - Torii Wolf
Infiltrator - Christoffer Moe Ditlevsen
Airglow - Max Anson
Show Me the Door (Instrumental Version) - Big Girl
Deconstructing the Empire - Christian Andersen
89 - Ben Elson
The Kill (Instrumental Version) - Particle House
Sunstorm - ELFL
Absolute Power - Hampus Naeselius
Fallout - Lennon Hutton
Titan - Lupus Nocte
I Will Bleed for You - Reynard Seidel
Rescue the Embassy - Lupus Nocte
Motives - Hysics
Beyond the Time - Turpak

0:00 - Intro
05:02 - The Flight
07:34 - Modelling Clay
09:48 - Debut
12:45 - The Fight
13:59 - The W2
18:04 - The Hype
19:49 - The Late Show
22:20 - The W8
26:18 - The Other Jerry
28:26 - The Trouble With Tommy
32:52 - But Was It a Failure?

[the.squidd]

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[LPPL]

I had no idea this company even existed and made such radical cars. Thank you for yet another fantastic documentary.

[JohnSchoolingJr]

I worked with Jerry personally in the early 00's and while i was aware of his deeper problems i really looked up to his vision and ambitions. I wish i could have had a better impact to help that vision come to light. Very patriotic.

[rootheghost]

The quality of these videos is absolutely insane. A serious treasure trove to the car community, thank you for all the hard work and dedication.

[SantiHRod]

Jerry is the example of why you need people to tell you what NOT to do, such a visionary, but clearly so full of himself, that in the end, he was left all alone.

[Sam_artsy]

Jerry was a very ambitious guy who knew what he wanted...the W8 remains as a testament to his legacy in auto history

[RetroFutureArts]

Growing up in Europe in the 70's and 80's, Vector/Wiegert were absolutely at the top in my mind, even above Ferrari and Lambo, because they made the Battlestar Galactica with wheels and it was so out of this world it made European supercars look pedestrian in comparison.

[AstralPulse]

I love the way you tell stories and tell the history of cars and the people behind them!

[retromemories]

If it wasn't for a little game called Gran Turismo 2, I never would've identified this insane-looking car I spotted in the Bay Area. The car company I really wanted to succeed.

[jithineo]

Dude thia ain't an automotive channel.. This is a motivational channel that inspire all...

[jonathangirier-dufournier]

I was watching this video thinking it was a weird looking Countach, then, my father walked behind me and saw what I was watching and immediately exclaimed (in french): "WOOOWWW, the Vector, I definitely had a poster of it back when I was young. Son, this one's a classic!"

[opptix]

I have actually seen one of these W8s in person and I believe the guy still has it and lives not too far from me. They are absolute works of art and one of the most interesting cars I have ever seen. Thank you for making this documentary and sharing Jerry's dream with everyone who hasn't seen one before.

[ultimateformulations]

This was my bedroom poster car when I was 7 and on. I couldn't understand why it wasn't more popular and well known. As soon as I saw a picture of it I was in love!

[DumbAngelDragon]

I had a chance to see a Vector in person (The silver one that Dak gets into on Motortrend's Top gear, seen in the video) when it was in Sacramento. The fit and finish is amazing, which really surprised me. They are so notoriously unreliable I thought they would be crap, but they seem really well built.

It's a shame we didn't get to see Vector evolve. I think it's a much more interesting core philosophy in comparison to Saleen or Hennessey.

[largolt]

What's interesting is the Vector was probably the only vehicle in the world that had a real aircraft hour meter installed on its dashboard. I'd love to drive one. It is the first supercar I have ever seen or heard about.

[marvinracer]

I heard of Vector back in the early 90s, I was around 5-6 years old in Mexico when my mom bought me a purple WX3 Hot Wheels car. Still got it, of course.

[Sam_artsy]

One of my all-time faves....the W8 was really insane...its earlier prototype/sister W2 was the most extreme auto in 1978...real aerospace tech for the street !!!

[themotorsportstory]

Some people will probably get mad at this comparison, but I couldn't help but think of all the parallels to the story of Steve Jobs and Apple early on. A visionary dreamer who couldn't get along with anybody, frustrated with the media, lawsuits, losing an intelligent key partner, and even a forced exit (sure you could argue the word "forced" with Jobs). Crazy how one company literally took over the world and the other was never heard from again. RIP Mr. Wiegert, and great job as always Squidd and team.

[believeinmatter]

Very cool car, and one that honestly doesn’t look all that dated today. In an alternate timeline, I feel like Vector would be known as a serious competitor

[rwdplz]

I finally saw a Vector in person at Hagerty in Traverse City years ago, there was a huge crowd around it, and I wondered how many people truly appreciated what they were seeing.