For sale

There is a M12 for sale in my latest duPont Registry (Nov 2001). Not sure which chassis #, but it's black over grey, with 3,300 miles, Al Bertoni racing clutch, custom stainless steel exhaust with factory tips.

Gives a website, http://65.166.243.100/vector/index.html

My guess is that this car would be#8 (unless it has been painted), since there were only three black M12s...one has a red interior and the other had trouble reaching 57 miles by 1998.

That car was forsale on ebay a couple weeks ago. I don't believe it sold.

Originally posted by Hudson
My guess is that this car would be#8 (unless it has been painted), since there were only three black M12s...one has a red interior and the other had trouble reaching 57 miles by 1998.

I just checked with my friend, that is chassis #008, the last M12 off the line before the 1996 closing of the plant.

I just checked with my friend, that is chassis #008, the last M12 off the line before the 1996 closing of the plant.

Semi Normal Production may have stopped in 1996, but American Aeromotive owns a Yellow 1999 M12. I believe it was the last one built, chassis #17.

I think the last chassis number was #14 (#15 was the SVR8, I believe).

The plant closed in 1996 for a short period, when they ran out of money, car #008 was the last before that closing. They reopened in 1997, and built the rest.

The 1996 closing:
http://www.theautochannel.com/news/writers/bhagin/1996/fs9652.html

The 1997 reopening:
http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/072597/1c8diges.html

The new owners of Vector Aeromotive stated that company records show 17 M12s being built and then there is the missing SRV8. American Aeromotives should be chassis #17, unless the Florida guys did what Wiegert did in California and skip around with the chassis numbers.

They didn't skip around. I have the records and they show 14 cars. I saw #14 being assembled not too long before they closed up shop. They had parts for up through #18, but none were being assembled.

I will go by what American Aeromotive told me (in Septemeber of 2001). They have the Vector Aeromotive factory records and they show 17 M12s being made. In a 3-9 months I may have those records posted on the Vector Aeromotive Club web site.

My friend told me that 14 M12's were built, but I'm not sure if this included the racecar or prototypes.

I will be meeting with the CEO of American Aeromotive this weekend. I will ask him to give a detailed accounting of the M12s. Find out what each chassis was. If it was a crash car or show car or concept car and so on. I think I have confirmed where the M12 molds ended up. Hopefully someone will turn up with the SRV8.

I have seen and copied the Vector Aeromotive records. There were 14 street M12s built. The 15th was the SRV8. And there were three M12 prototypes...one became the race car. THIS could be how "17" was derived, but there were only 14 built for the street.

Per my friend:


P1 ,prototype(seen in brochure)
EPA 1,EPA 2(CRASH CARS)EPA2 TURNED INTO THE RACE CAR.
001 to 014 road cars
015 WAS MY SRV8(CORVETTE V8)not legal,road version of the race car.
So 17 is the total built

Was it because that Vector sucked, or are all Vectors really unreliable as lots of people say? I mean having trouble reaching 57 miles don't sound good at all :(
Anyone know how reliable Vectors really are? I have a neighbor who owns a part-time home in my area, and drives his 97 Lamborghini Diablo all the time from NYC, and so far has over 50,000 miles on it, and still runs & looks like a new Diablo. Wondering if Vector can do this...?

Originally posted by Hudson
My guess is that this car would be#8 (unless it has been painted), since there were only three black M12s...one has a red interior and the other had trouble reaching 57 miles by 1998.

Was it because that Vector sucked, or are all Vectors really unreliable as lots of people say? I mean having trouble reaching 57 miles don't sound good at all

Vectors, W8 or M12, are not the most dependible autos. The exotic car owners I know that have had Vectors, say they were above average in terms of problems. The W8 is an interesting combination of quality and corner cutting. The chassis of the W8 was super strong. The body fit was OK. There is a mix of polished high end parts and cheap plastic pieces. The M12 was infested with cheap plastic. The rear tail lights on the W8 can be damaged by the catalytic converts which are located just behind the tail lights. You don't want to hit a pot hole in W8 and that goes double for the M12. Many M12s have ripped apart the inner wheel well because the tires were not given enough clearnace to deal with road imperfections. The "aircraft" fuses on the W8 have caused some owners some major head aches. Transmission issues plague both the M12 and W8.

The list of problems goes on and on. After reviewing the history of Vector it seems like both California and Florida Vector needed to spend more time developing their cars. Both the W8 and M12 stand out in a crowd. With less then 45 cars ever built (including concepts cars) Vectors are unknown to most people.

Wiegert is trying to build cars again under the name Vector Supercars. He uses the WX-3 from 1993 as his show car. I am not sure how many people will want the WX-3. Buyers of high dollar exotics can choose the MT900, Callaway C12, Corvette Z06, Saleen S7, Bugatti (coming soon), Ferrari Modena, Ferrari F60 (Coming), Koeingsegg, RUF Porsche, Porsche 911 Turbo & GT2, Lamborghini, and more. All of these cars should be able to out perform the Avtech. The Avtech Roadster has a body that is still eye catching, but under the skin the Avtech does not stack up well against most of the competition.

Anyone thinking of buying an Avtech should think about the W2/W8 production history. W2 buyers waited many years to get their cars. Anyone placing a deposit now, could be waiting a longtime to see the car. It is always a risk placing a deposit with any niche market builder. The S7 has seen many delays, but at least Saleen does have solid track record. The Saleen based Mustangs, have a very high customer rating. My point is, anyone thinking about buying an exotic should look the whole market over. If they decide an Avtech is for them, seriously consider the risks and track record of the builder.

To tie this all back to the topic of do Vector "suck" in terms of quality, I would have to say yes. If someone wanted buy a XJ220, EB110, F40, or a W8, I would say forget the W8, the others are good exotics to own. If someone wants to buy an M12, my advice would be avoid the earlist ones built. Just be ready to dump lots of money into these cars.

I still hear about this guy in Ohio may develop a Vector. I do not have all the info, but he may have the rights to Vector Aeromotive. As of this moment, I do not know. I hope to hear from him again. I would love to think someone could break the Vector's bad track record.

Hey thanx a lot guy, this is some of the best information I've ever seen on the Vectors, and it's very much appreciated!!

I hope more people who are as knowledgeable as you on Vector M12s will gather here, as I love Vectors, and still do after reading your post, and will ask one of you for more advice if and when I get some money to be able to afford one :D

Those look like fabulous cars! I have thought numerous times about buying a vector when I was younger, and I would really like to get one now!