@@S.Matt240 ill bet this was recorded by the carwow equipment, which always sound absolutely horrible on the exterior revs. It never ever sounds good for any vehicle, they all sound so bad
Not only that, the road is definitely NOT a prepped drag strip, but rather a crappy looking old frontage road that parallels the nearby highway. And I was rooting for the Vector...
It’s not the GTS Viper either, which is faster than the RT/10. Loved the Vector, both versions of it. I remember the NYC reveal of the newer model in the 90’s at the Marriott hotel
It's about as quick as a stock Mk8 VW Golf R (12.3 on the Carwow strip) and slower than a Mercedes A45 S (12.1 on the Carwow strip)... so hot hatch speed rather than 'super fast' I guess but still pretty good for a 30+ year old car.
@@corleth2868bud 12 secs is super fast for any street legal stock car...... The price point of a r or the merc is in the super car space..... And then ur still just got a hatchback.....
@@Coffee17990 I think he's afraid to do the things necessary to get a '90's automatic to hook up, because breaking anything on a ultra low production $1.5 Million car would be bad, even if those parts are found in an old GM parts bin. (He was easing into the throttle, instead of brake torquing, then launching at "GO!")
The Vector could have been amazing with a simple 5 speed manual… the only cars that came close in the looks department back then were Lambo’s and De Tomaso’s.
The Vector still looks great, so many years later. Alfa Carabo, Stratos Zero echoes in the design. Love the original Viper, too. Looked amazing when it was introduced - wide and low.
Thank you Peterson Automotive Museum for letting these cars be driven and actually seen and used for the purposes they were meant to be used for I love it when you guys bring out the super vintage stuff but it's really cool when you bring out stuff from the early nineties from my childhood I love it
The Vector's three-speed shouldn't actually be a problem, as even with a first gear ending at 70 mph, it's still got enough torque to get to 60 mph in around 4 seconds. Apart from the other people here talking about the Vector not sounding in shape, I would guess that the Museum's driver wasn't allowed to properly brake-torque it and let the converter work its magic. I say the museum techs ought to refurbish that thing's engine, put an actual pro driver in there, and let them rip. It would take some funding, but I'm sure there are some rich car guys around that would be up to the task.
I'm fairly certain the boost was turned down and the driver was being very gentle with a car valued that much. When they went up against each other back in the day the Vector was much faster.
@@TTOOS I'm not sure what the point of the video was. Almost as if to say the Vector was slower than the Viper however, they made no reference to the road tests when these cars were new and the Vector ran an under 12 second quarter mile and smoked the Viper.
@@TheRiverPirate13 Yeah, if the museum was gonna either "protect" the Vector or for some other reason not bring it up to its 7psi factory setting, they should not have staged the drag race. They should have allowed some manner of drive-around and showcase, maybe.
Yes, driver is afraid of braking a $1.5 Million dollar investment. Also, cars that sit for long periods of time, go bad from simply sitting much faster than if they're used on a regular basis.
Both of those were my dream cars. I knew that I was never going to own a Vector. But interestingly I do own a Gen II Viper. Kudos to the Petersen Museum for providing the cars for this dream race, and thanks to Matt and CarWow for making it happen! The Viper is definitely a quick car, but by the specs the Vector should have won easily. So that Viper win was a pleasant surprise.
I was in high school when the Vector came out...and like alot of car kids...i had a poster of one on my wall. Many dreams were had staring at it wishing i couldve owned one back then. I forgot it had a 3speed auto tranny but i did think it was considerably faster than a quarter mile in the 13s. Wonder what the final drive gear ratio is? I forgot what the top speed was...170? I know they Gen Y and millenials wont get it really but back in the day the Gen X peeps knew that was cutting edge design. My mouth drops still looking at it. Way cool...thanks Peterson for bringing it out to play! 👊
Gerald Wiegert was a serial liar. The V8 twin-turbo was a disaster, and mated to a 3speed slushbox would in no way allow it to reach the proposed performance numbers. The later version M12 using a Lamborghini-sourced V12 was a better car on paper, what with a relatively proven drivetrain, but in reality was a near-deathtrap. They were assembled near my home in FL, I'd see one on test drives occasionally, and they sounded glorious, but if one drove by while I was on foot, there was almost always an alarming smell of gasoline and coolant following the car. A mirror flat fell off of one while I watched it cross railroad tracks, and at least one caught fire just tooling through the countryside, though I didn't see that.
Even if they did, they were absolutely hamstrung by the stupid transmission decision. Should have at least used the 4 speed auto from the corvette of the same era.
@@JeffDeLamater I don't think it was a decision so much as a lack of choice and money. When the car was being developed in the late 80s, there was not much in the way of available options for a midengine capable GM 90 degree bellhousing transmission that would manage over 600 ft/lbs of torque.
In this episode, a rare classic which hasn't been properly maintained or thoroughly checked is dragged out of storage and thrashed on track, risking engine and transmission damage, while producing about half its rated power.
Exactly. If they did some tuning on it and maybe even a basic tune-up and the guy didn't have terrible reactions in the first race and manually shifted the slush box things could have been a little different but that car was never meant to be a drag race car anyway. Still we appreciate seeing the thing run even though it sounded terrible and it was the dream car of a generation.
I’m quite sure they looked over the car and took the proper precautions before racing it. People that own cars of that caliber are meticulous and that car is a collector’s item.
Didn't know a stock '90s Viper was that fast. The Vector wasn't tuned right because those ran 11's also you can adjust the turbo boost on the dashboard.
i assume the idea behind the 3 speed (presumably a powerglide) is the reason they use them in drag racing. no loss of time shifting, and it has enough torque and a wide enough powerband that it doesnt need more gear. i suspect the reason it struggled here is that it WASNT making the power, for some reason. sounded like the boost was fluttering instead of building properly.
The issue with the Vector was Gerald Wiegert started to design it in the 1970's. He was an engineer from aerospace industry. The biggest problems it was his notion was making it completely US based why it was longitudinal mounted an using a tornado 3 speed automatic. He just refused to use anything sourced from Europe. He had big ideas small company budgets. All the hoses, interconnects an various parts where machined or from the aerospace industry. It's truly amazing Mart got to race one. Great job putting that together. Vector got a new ownership who developed an new platform an got rid of that horrible 3 speed auto an boosted HP to over 700 hp. They ended the idea it needed to be all American.
Indeed... I've always been "on the fence" about there Vector's history and what it was. I respected Wiegert's insistence on it being all American, but I thought it unnecessary and kind of delusional whenever people get very very 'Merican. Before anybody cries that I'm not "patriotic" enough, believe me I think the whole project that started this country was amazing, trying to get away from Imperial rule and the rich getting richer and peasants stying peasants... and I was in the U.S. military, have had family in north America before it was the U.S., so I'm more than patriotic enough LOL.... However the sheer ingredients of this country ARE from other countries!I get the 'ole tribal mentality that some get for unnecessary reasons, but we're supposed to be thriving because of the mongrel idea of people coming from everywhere, sharing ideas and everything we feel like working on. So that's why I think Gerald or "Jerry" could have succeeded long-term with that Vector if he had just been proud enough it was being made in the U.S., with the aircraft parts etc. from here... but since almost everything we work with in this country has materials and resources already bought from outside the country (yes, even in Gerald's time).... he might as well had just made it the best he could, even if it mean having Mercedes or Ferrari or Toyota make a couple parts for him, or if more palatable... the suppliers of those companies also supplying him. I get it, he probably just couldn't stand the idea especially after coming up with that dream. I just wish he would have bit the bullet and kept quiet if he was really that proud, and saved money and got the exact parts he needed to make the car truly magical. For me, I don't care if he would have outsourced, I wouldn't care if it was American (many claim their products "American" that are not)... I will always love the story of Lamborghini, the interesting way Porsche approached engineering, the care and reliability put into Toyota, etc. etc. etc... the nationality crap is meaningless to me. I just wanted one more really cool car to drool on, and Vector really got my hopes up.
I've seen those stock early vipers line up with modern cars with around 5-600 horse power and absolutely destroy them, Its actually insane how fast those vipers were for 400hp. (giving the vector more credit in a round about way here lol )
I’ve driven a Viper when I was an instructor at Prodrives private test track in Warwickshire and I can tell you it should come with a skid driving course as mandatory before taking ownership ! It had no ABS , no traction control or intact any driver aid at all . I would have thought this would make it an interesting car to drive and challenging but I wouldn’t let anyone drive it in the wet especially and say give it a go , it’s a real handful and with so much torque it would oversteer at the slightest squeeze of the accelerator . She would spin the wheels in 4 th gear in a straight line . Pronounced understeer was a problem when pushing on . All in all a hair raising visceral experience but that said on a track actually fun ! On the road you would have to be on your A game on say a twisty B Road .
My buddy first got the SRT-10 Viper pickup. For what it is...its a great vehicle. Plenty fast...handled well...especially for a truck...and the big brakes on it really worked well. It really drives more like a car than ac truck...however...it feels like a car but 2-3 feet higher...lol. he sold the truck and ended up finding a 1996 blue GTS coupe. I agree with the other Viper comments...that car was a BEAST! It had 450hp...50 more than the standard Viper. One of the fastest cars ive ever driven. Cant imagine what the last ones were like with 600-650hp. A badass car...no doubt!
Really? Trying to kill him? I've owned 3 Vipers including a stroked GTS with about 100 hp over stock and a Blown GTS with over 840 hp and drove them in the rain regularly with little problem. Just take off in 2nd and be gentle with the accelerator. Never understood people who pretend it was so difficult to drive. Put over 27,000 miles on then combined, not once did I have a problem. Even got stuck out of town driving home when it started snowing and still managed to make it home. Ok, so that one was a bit hairy, as the tires simply do not want to grip in the snow. But I made it home despite, and I'm nothing special behind the wheel other than mindful of throttle input. I don't get it... Just seems like exaggeration. Or lack of self control. 😂 That last bit is somewhat understandable, as the torque is addicting, but not the cars fault. Lol
@@importantvideos4529 I fully understand your comment and interesting to hear of your experience all I can say is you are a good driver by the sounds of it but at the same time I also understand what the other gentleman is saying “ trying to kill him “ because if you are the type of driver who does push on on a twisty wet road you do exercise absolute control because this car will catch the unwary out either on entry into a turn with pronounced understeer or on exit with pronounced oversteer both as you say is the driver not the car .
The Vector Aeromotive W8 was very under developed. I know it was in development for ages, but funding was tiny. Probably 1/100th what Chrysler spent developing the Viper. The W8/W2 were developed in a warehouse in Wilmington California over many years. They had some really dedicated workers there, some of which did not get paid for all the hours they put in. Those who have followed the W8/W2 know the many flaws and know many of the performance numbers were hyped up. The Viper was trying to be a modern Shelby Cobra, so true speed and performance was a focus. The W8 was more a style exercise. Gerald Wiegert loved jets and rockets, so he tried to bring some of the aerospace into the automotive space. The vector graphics display and jet fight cockpit buttons did not age well, but was very cool at the time. The transmission was a weak point, but you got a cool jet fighter looking shifter, that you had to climb over getting in and out. For an exotic or super car, it was much easier to work on than most. Only 17 "production" W8s were made. No two W8s were exactly the same Sadly, they were never able to get the Vector WX3 into limited production, but there are two concept WX3s that were made that still look amazing today. Funny to think for a short period of time, Vector and Lamborghini were under the same ownership and the Viper got engine block castings designed by Lamborghini which Chrysler had owned.
Either he wasn't pushing that car or it wasn't right, prolly both. I don't think it would have been that fast but this race was not representative of the car imo.
If that's a preproduction viper, it's making more than 400hp, A LOT more. The first gens were high 12 sec cars, trapping around 112-113mph. Still pretty quick but not 12.2 quick. That vector sounded off. Also, that guy wasn't pushing it hard at all. The 3A doesn't hinder it THAT that would negate a 200hp advantage. Either that vector wasn't right or he was purposely sandbagging.
Matt gets a 12.2 every time he races a first-generation Viper. Like you said, something is off. A 12.6 on the perfect day, but 12.2? That's what the 96 GTS did, according to Car and Driver. They got 12.8 from a 95 Viper.
Even with the boost leak I’d take 1 vector w8 over 10 vipers. That car was so wild. The 3 speed auto was fitted to it because it’s literally the same transmission used on monster trucks of the time, and it was the only transmission in the world capable of handling that kind of power back then.
And I guess you don’t know anything about drag racing, you’ve never heard of Powerglide transmissions? Pro glide? Some of the fastest drag cars use 2 speed Powerglides that are making well over 600hp… the 3 speed trans isn’t the problem in the W8… and it wasn’t the only trans available in the world that could handle “that kind of power”. There were way more powerful drag cars in the 80s and 90s running all types of transmissions in the world of drag racing. And if you Dyno a W8 you’d be surprised how weak they are and how little power is being transferred to the rear wheels.
The Viper’s build quality was far closer to a Kit car than the W8. The W8 is a very misunderstood car. Built more like an airplane than a car. It’s as far from a kit car as you can get. You might be confusing it with the M12 which was not built under Wiegert’s oversight. The M12 was essentially a kit car on a Diablo chassis. Terrible build quality. Not a true vector. The Vector W cars were way ahead of their time, with things like airbags, heads up displays, and active aero in the 1980s.
It is not literally the same transmission used in a monster truck. It is a transaxle used in front wheel drive Oldsmobiles and Buicks and it's based off the TH400. If the monster truck used TH400 then yes it would be similar.
Please fix that poor W8 sounds like its making no boost and the waste gates are wide open, it makes 625bhp on low boost its capable of over 1000bhp on its high boost setting, that is not running well at all. Back in 91 in testing they got 11sec 1/4 mile out of it when it was not running right.
I remember when the Vector debuted, it was touted as an outrageous hyper car. As a do it all bruiser, the Viper consistently holds its own against almost anything, it’s truly a legend.
That's a very long time that i am waiting to see something like this! I really was looking for a video that shows Vector W8 in a race or drag race. Thanks a lot 🙏 😊. Please continue 🙏 😊.
It's such a shame Vector didn't survive. They were making world-class cars and the design language was amazing. Fun to imagine what they'd look like new today.
Disappointing to see the vector not do so good, as I used to drive it in gran Turismo and it was awesome. I’m guessing the dad was never truly finished, but was so close to being a masterpiece. Looks epic
Man of culture, I see. The W2 was how it was supposed to be. And it should have made production in the early '80s. At that point everything was full of promise. The W8 was too little too late. But an awesome effort none the less.
I have seen that AutoConcierge branded big rig around Monterey car week before. They always are carrying rare cool stuff. Nothing more rare than a Vector!
I had the oppurtunity to race a W8 againts several other Super & Sports Car's in 2003. The W8's gearbox can be sluggish. Great times in Gran Turismo 2!
Love the Vector. It would be cool if someone made a rebody of a C8 Corvette with the Vector styling. The wheelbase probably isn't quite right. I think it was a transverse layout in the Vector. It would be such a cool blend of modern and 80's if it could work.
@@joevarga5982 of course but it's nice to see this car doing a drag race, i was impressed by the Viper performance against the f40 and i'm still impressed by this as well.
@@joevarga5982 you are not wrong actually, but for a 1990 car do 13.7 secs in 1/4 without any cluch issues or any problem over all isn't bad, but other than this your are absolutley right, f40 and 959 were better cars overall, and in this case take the top speed as the main performance figure this car isn't a performative tool in acceleration times, specially with a gearbox of 3 gears.
@@coach4050 So, you're impressed that it did a single run without breaking? 🤣 Clearly, it doesn't take much to impress you! Jerry Wiegert used to say that when you have power you don't need a lot of gears. He was such a bullshitter.
I was OBSESSED with this Vector when I was a kid (I think they had one other model that wasn't as cool looking) but when I got older I learned it was kind of shite. Crazy how valuable it is today because of the low production numbers and I can't believe how much the Viper has depreciated over time. 50K in 1992 is about the equivalent of 110K today
In the 90s, the Vector W8 was every German boy's dream car! I still love it today! Many had a poster of it on their wall. I was desperately looking for a model car of it and finally found one (very expensive). It came to Europe at the time and was supposed to compete against the Porsche Turbo, the Ferrari BB and the Lamborghini Countach. These comparison tests always took place without the Vector W8. Something was always broken. Once it even caught fire. Theoretically, it was capable of beating all the European cars. Unfortunately, it didn't race! Is there a contemporary test from the USA with real measured values????
I sat in that car in Germany 5 years ago. The tires are 30 years old and brittle. The engine needs to be tuned. The guy driving does not know how to drive the Vector. They are tricky. And like he said "geared for 242 mph" does not help off the line!
As a young 20 year old, I admired the Vector W8 as it was a total beast and even had a poster in my room of it. The performance that I recall from this machine was epic, unless it was flexing by the manufacturer. Hearing this car accelerate, sounds like a 70 year old man with Pneumonia. Regardless, I would still pick the W8 (if I could).
I don't care what gearbox is in the Vector. No way it makes 600hp. Not sure what type of maintenance was done on it but that thing is lucky if it made 300hp.
I don't know why people always talk about lagging turbos because I had an 89 probe GT turbo as soon as you pushed on the pedal there was no lag at all. For a car that only did 131 mi an hour I could at least get 1st through. Crazy thing is I never lost a race in it. I erased the Corvette back then and I also erased the 5.0 mustang back then. If I recall I think I also erased a Porsche and I didn't lose a race in that car.
Haven't watched this yet but I did just watch an OLD Top Gear segment where a Gen1 Viper like this one drag raced 5 European sports car contemporaries and got its ass handed to it by all of them including a Caterham 7. So I wouldn't be inclined to bet on the Viper. Saving grace might be the 3 speed autobox from a van they put in the Vector. Now to see how slow they both are.
The Vector should smoke the viper three speed or not, that thing needs a tune up. It sounds very odd, something is not right. I believe a more mechanically inclined driver could feel out and sense the running issue while sitting in and driving the car. I can hear it on a phone, inside the car should be easy to diagnose
Just out of curiosity, how much boost was the W8 running? Its standout feature is dialable boost, which is still an incredibly useful feature. I have to image it's at a fairly conservative setting for preservation. Might not be the best "flat-out" comparison.
They baby these rare cars from the Museum when racing Matt. Matt goes all out and that makes a ton of difference.. Car and Driver tested the Vector back in the day and it ran quicker 0-60 and 1/4 mile times than the first gen Viper.. Also the Vector didn’t sound very healthy going down the track, boost leak or bad camera location? 🤷♂️
. Remember the. W8 in a magazine was before 1980 And it was the 350sbc(5.7L) Chevrolet Twin Turbo for the engine and TH400 for gearbox. I was 10 years old and I must have been one of the few French people to know her, The aeronautical-inspired electronic instrument panel."the must have" 😁 Vector W8is the first hyper car
I think I still have my issue of Car and Driver with the original Vector concept on the cover, December 1980. And it's ridiculous that Vector never could get it right.