The First Vector V8 Supercar Ever Built Is up for Grabs

What’s better than buying a supercar? Acquiring the first one of its kind.

A 1990 Vector W8 Twin Turbo, chassis number 001, is currently up for auction on Bring a Trailer. The car may be all but forgotten by anyone who’s not a true enthusiast, but that hasn’t stopped it from garnering plenty of interest—and lots of high bids—on the popular online platform.

The W8 Twin Turbo was the brainchild of Gerald Wiegert. At the beginning of the 1970s, the inventor and businessman announced plans to build a high-performance sports car called the Vector, which he claimed would compete with the very best European automobiles. The first concept of the vehicle debuted soon after, but Wiegert would learn that saying you’ll do something and actually doing it are two very different things. It took him nearly two decades to drum up the money needed to put the car into production, and he only managed to make and sell 19 models, two of which were prototypes, between 1990 and 1993.

The model crossing the block was initially sold to a member of Saudi Arabia’s royal family. The car has a wedge-shaped design that’s an evolution of the W2 concept from 1978. Nearly three-and-a-half decades later, the W8 Twin Turbo lacks the futuristic flair that it had when it debuted, but it’s still a sleek and attractive vehicle. This example is finished in Graphite Grey paint over a black leather interior and rides on a set of custom 17-inch wheels (the original 16-inch rims are included in the sale).

The W8 Twin Turbo is powered by a twin-turbocharged 6.0-liter V-8. It may not have as many cylinders as some of the mills you find in that era’s supercars, but it can still produce a respectable 625 hp and 630 ft lbs of torque, all of which was routed to the rear wheels via a six-speed automatic gearbox, according to the listing. At the time of its release, Vector claimed the car could sprint from zero to 60 mph in 3.9 seconds and reach a top speed of 242 mph. Independent testing suggested the company’s acceleration claim wasn’t too far off, but that its top speed was closer to 218 mph. The vehicle’s digital odometer is no longer readable, so it’s impossible to tell how much ground the car has covered, but the current seller says they’ve only added 1,700 miles.

Intrigued? The  W8 Twin Turbo auction runs until Friday, June 14. Prepare to spend big, tough. Bidding has already reached $450,000 and could keep climbing.

Click here for more photos of the first Vector W8 Twin Turbo.