The Avtech WX-3 is a prototype

sports car A sports car is a type of automobile that is designed with an emphasis on dynamic performance, such as Automobile handling, handling, acceleration, top speed, the thrill of driving, and Auto racing, racing capability. Sports cars originated in ...

engineered, developed and manufactured by

Vector Motors Vector Motors Corporation was an American automobile manufacturer originally based in Wilmington, Los Angeles, Wilmington, California. Its history can be traced to Vehicle Design Force, which was founded in 1978 by Jerry Wiegert."Vector Aeromotive ...

of Wilmington, California in 1992. Conceived by Vector Motors founder and chief designer

Jerry Wiegert Gerald Alden Wiegert (July 12, 1944 – January 15, 2021) was an American automotive engineer and businessman, notable as the founder of two companies, Vector Motors and Aquajet, and for designing the products marketed by those companies. Wiege ...

as a successor to the W8.Vector Avtech WX3
– TopSpeed, 17 May 2007 Production plans for the WX-3 included a range of three engine configurations ranging from up to 1200 hp (895 kW) from a proprietary 7.0L DOHC V8 engine. Originally painted silver, the WX-3 coupé prototype was later re-painted teal by Wiegert to match the teal-blue and purple logo of his Aquajet jet-ski company. The teal-blue coupé and purple roadster are featured as promotional vehicles on the Aquajet website. The single finished prototype is powered by the same twin-turbocharged V8 engine as the W8, with an improved flow dual plenum and throttle-body intake tract rather than the

Chevrolet Corvette The Chevrolet Corvette is a line of American two-door, two-seater sports cars manufactured and marketed by General Motors under the Chevrolet marque since 1953. Throughout eight generations, indicated sequentially as C1 to C8, the Corvette is not ...

-based system used on the W8 production cars. At high boost levels the engine was capable of a power output of . The WX-3 prototypes used a three-across seating arrangement that was an option on W8 export models although Vector stated that a production model would have used more conventional bucket seats. Wiegert had also planned a roadster version of the WX-3, named the WX-3R; both vehicles shared mechanical components from the W8. Like the model it was based on, the WX-3R did not pass the prototype stage. Both versions were shown at the 1993

Geneva Auto Show The Geneva International Motor Show was an annual auto show held in March in the Swiss city of Geneva. The show was hosted at the Palexpo, a convention centre located next to the Geneva Cointrin International Airport. The Salon was organised b ...

. Wiegert planned for the WX-3 to enter production in the 1990s, but after a

hostile takeover In business, a takeover is the purchase of one company (law), company (the ''target'') by another (the ''acquirer'' or ''bidder''). In the UK, the term refers to the acquisition of a public company whose shares are publicly listed, in contrast t ...

initiated by

Megatech ''MegaTech'' (sometimes styled with the katakana メガテケ) was a publication from EMAP aimed specifically at the Sega Mega Drive gaming market. The magazine was started in 1991. The launch editorial consisted of a small team including Pa ...

, Wiegert was fired from his own company. The car was never produced and later removed from future plans of the company when Wiegert initiated lawsuits and copyrighted the designs, preventing Megatech from building and selling the car without his approval. Both cars were auctioned off to fund the development of the Vector WX-8; development of the WX-8 was incomplete by the time of founder Gerald Wiegert's death in early 2021.

References

Vector Motors Concept cars {{Modern-auto-stub Rear mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive vehicles Cars introduced in 1993 Cars of the United States

See also

References