"Ko te whakaaro he hanga ingoa rongonui, kaua e eke hōiho," te kī a Gerald Wigert me te reo ngawari, ā, he reo pakari hoki. Kāore te perehitini o te Vector Aeromotive Corporation i te whai wāhi ki tēnei mea, ahakoa mai i te tau 1971 kua hoahoa, kua hanga hoki ia i te Vector twin-turbo, he motuka tere 625-horsepower, 2-nohoanga, he motuka waenga-mīhini e whakamahi ana i ngā rauemi matatau me ngā hangarau pūnaha rererangi. Mai i ngā tuhi ki ngā tauira pahuka ki ngā tauira tauine katoa, i whakaaturia tuatahitia te Vector i te Whakaaturanga Aunoa o Los Angeles i te tau 1976. E rua tau i muri mai, i oti te hanga i tētahi tauira mahi, i hangaia mai i ngā wāhanga i kohia mai i ngā whenua ururua, ā, i horoia ngā wāhanga, hei whakarato i te whare. I kī ia ko te ngoikore o te ōhanga me ngā whakahē kino i roto i ngā pāpāho motuka i whakararu i ngā mahi ki te whiwhi pūtea, i te mea ko tana moemoeā ki te hanga i tētahi motuka whawhai whenua mō ngā tiriti te āhua nei kua whakaritea kia tutuki.
E tika ana kia whiwhi a Wigt i tētahi momo mētara mō tōna manawanui, i tētahi momo utu mō tōna manawanui. Āta karohia te ia o te ao mā te kore e aro ki ngā wairua aue o ngā haerenga kore angitu a Tucker, DeLorean me Bricklin. Kua rite te Vector Aeromotive Corporation i Wilmington, California ki te hanga i tētahi motuka ia wiki. Me toro atu noa ngā kaiwhakataetae ki te wāhi huihuinga whakamutunga, i reira e rua o ngā motuka i whakaahuahia e mātou e whakareri ana kia tukuna ki ō rātou rangatira hou i Switzerland (ko te Vector W8 takirua-turbo tuatahi i hokona ki tētahi rangatira o Saudi Arabia, kei roto hoki i tana kohinga o ngā motuka e 25 he Porsche 959 me te Bentley Turbo R). E waru atu ngā Vector kei te hangaia i ngā wāhanga rerekē o te otinga, mai i te chassis hurihuri ki ngā waka tata oti.
Me mōhio te hunga kāore anō kia tino whakapono kua tipu te kamupene mai i te whare kotahi me ngā kaimahi tokowhā i te tau 1988 ki ngā whare e whā, neke atu i te 35,000 putu tapawha te rahi, me te tata ki te 80 ngā kaimahi i te wā e tuhia ana tēnei tuhinga. Ā, i paahitia e te Vector ngā whakamātautau tukinga pai rawa atu a te DOT (30 maero ia hāora te tere o mua me muri, ngā whakamātautau tukinga o te tatau me te tuanui me te kotahi anake te anga); kei te haere tonu ngā whakamātautau tukunga. Neke atu i te $13 miriona te moni kua kohia i roto i te whakapaipai mahi mā roto i ngā tuku OTC tūmatanui e rua.
I raro i te rā werawera o te poutumarotanga i te papa hokohoko o Pomona, California, i kitea te mahi whakapono whakamutunga a Wigt. I whiti tetahi taraka papa papatahi me ngā miihini Vector W8 TwinTurbo e rua i te huarahi whānui kua whakakikoruatia ki te ara tōia. I tangohia ngā waka whakamātautau e rua, ā, i whakauruhia e te ētita whakamātautau rori, a Kim Reynolds, tētahi ki tā mātou rorohiko wira tuarima me te whakamātautau rori hei whakarite mō te whakamātautau mahi tuatahi a te Auto Magazine.
Mai i te tau 1981, kua tukuna e David Kostka, te Tumu Whakarae Hangarau o Vector, ētahi tohutohu mō te whiwhi i ngā wā whakahaere pai rawa atu. Whai muri i ngā whakamātautau kua mōhiotia, ka panaia e Kim te Vector ki te raina waenga, ā, ka whakaara anō i te rorohiko whakamātautau.
I puta te āhua manukanuka ki te mata o Kostya. Tērā pea. Tekau tau e mahi ana ia i ngā hāora tekau mā rua i te rā, e whitu ngā rā o te wiki, tata ki te hautoru o tōna oranga oho, me te kore e whakahua i te wāhanga nui o tōna wairua, e whakatapua ana ki te mīhini.
Kāore he mea hei āwangawanga māna. Ka takahia e Kim te pēra parai, ka tīpako i te taputapu tuatahi, ka takahia te pēra penehīni hei uta i te tuku. He kaha ake te haruru o te miihini V-8 6.0-rita konumohe katoa, ā, ka rite te haruru o te turbocharger Garrett ki te haruru o te whitiki taraiwa taputapu Gilmer-style. Ka uru te pēra o muri ki te pakanga mutunga kore me te taipana V-8 me te taraiwa wira-mua o te motuka, ka nekehia he taura mua kua mau i runga i te ara. He rite tēnei ki te purukuri riri e kukume ana i tana motuka.
I tukuna ngā parai, ā, ka rere te Vector me te paheke o te wira, te paowa o te Michelin momona, me te piko paku ki te taha. I roto i te kimo kanohi – he 4.2 hēkona noa iho – ka tere ake ki te 60 maero ia hāora, i mua tata i te nekehanga 1-2. Ka tere haere te Vector pērā i te Can-Am nui, me te tere tonu i te ara me te kaha haere tonu. Ka huri te awhiowhio o te onepu me ngā para porowhita i roto i te korehau i te mea ka haehae tōna āhua porowhita i te hau. Ahakoa tata ki te hauwhā maero, i rangona tonu te tangi o te mīhini i te tere haere o te motuka i roto i te mahanga. Tere? 124.0 maero ia hāora i roto noa i te 12.0 hēkona.
Tekau mā rua karaka. Mā tēnei tatauranga, kei mua rawa atu a Vector i ngā waka matua pērā i a Acura NSX (14.0 hēkona), Ferrari Testarossa (14.2 hēkona) me Corvette ZR-1 (13.4 hēkona). Ko tōna whakaterenga me tōna tere i uru atu ki tētahi karapu motuhake ake, me te Ferrari F40 me te Lamborghini Diablo kāore anō kia whakamatautauria hei mema. He painga ō te mema, engari he utu anō hoki: Ko te Vector W8 TwinTurbo e hokona ana mō te $283,750, he nui ake te utu i te Lamborghini ($211,000) engari he iti iho i te Ferrari (ko te putanga US o te F40 he $400,000 te utu).
Nā te aha te mea e mahi ai te Vector W8? Hei whakautu i aku pātai katoa, hei tirotiro hoki i te whare o Vector, ko Mark Bailey, te Tumu Whakarae Tuarua o te Hanga, he kaimahi o mua o Northrop, he mema o mua hoki o te raina Can-Am.
I a ia e tohu ana ki te wāhi miihini o te Vector e hangaia ana, ka mea ia, "Ehara tēnei i te miihini iti kua pōtakatakahia kia mate. He miihini nui tēnei kāore e mahi kaha."
He tokotoko pana V-8 90 nekehanga V-8, e ono rita te rahi, he poraka i hangaia ki Rodeck, he pane rango rua-takirere Air Flow Research. I huihuia ngā poraka roa, ā, i whakamatautauria ki te dyno e Shaver Specialties i Torrance, California. Mō te aha, ko te rārangi wāhanga mīhini he rite ki te rārangi Kirihimete o ngā kaiwhakataetae ara iahiko: he piston TRW i hangaia, he tokotoko hono maitai kore waikura Carrillo, he takirere maitai kore waikura, he ringa rōra roera, he tokotoko hono i hangaia, he hinu maroke me ngā tātari motuhake e toru. he paihere ngongo maitai me ngā hononga whero me te kikorangi kua whakakikoruatia hei kawe i te wai ki ngā wāhi katoa.
Ko te whakatutukitanga nui o tēnei mīhini he pouaka whakamātao tuwhera i hangaia ki te konumohe, ā, he mea whakakanapa kia kanapa rawa. Ka taea te tango mai i te waka i roto i ngā meneti mā te wetewete i ngā here aerodynamic tuku tere e whā. He mea hono ki tētahi pūkaha turbocharger Garrett e rua e whakamatao ana i te wai, ā, he wāhanga pokapū waka, he impeller me te anga motuhake mō te waka rererangi.
Ka whakahaerehia te mura e ngā koiri motuhake mō ia rango, ā, ka tukuna te wahie mā roto i ngā tauranga raupapa maha mā te whakamahi i ngā werohanga ritenga mai i te tīma whakawhanake Bosch. Ka whakaritea te mura me te tuku wahie e te pūnaha whakahaere miihini ka taea te whakarite a Vector.
He tino ataahua ngā pereti whakairi, pērā i te motuka tonu, e tū ana i te taha o te pou. He mea hanga ki te konumohe mira kikorangi kua whakakikoruatia, kua whakairohia, ko tētahi pūtu e piri ana ki te taha raro o te poraka, ā, ko tētahi hei pereti urutau mō te miihini/tuku. He GM Turbo Hydra-matic te tuku, i whakamahia i roto i ngā Olds Toronado me Cadillac Eldorado V-8 taraiwa wira o mua i ngā tau 70. Engari tata ki ngā wāhanga katoa o te tuku 3-tere he mea hanga motuhake e ngā kaimahi kirimana a Vector me ngā rauemi e kaha ana ki te whakahaere i te 630 lb-ft. Ko te taipana i hangaia e te miihini i te 4900 rpm me te whakanui 7.0 psi.
I ārahi māia ahau e Mark Bailey i te papa whakaputa, me te tohu i te anga maitai chrome-molybdenum ngongo nui, ngā papa honikoma konumohe, me te epoxy i piri ki te anga hei hanga i te pepa konumohe i roto i te wāhi anga mārō kua whakaputahia. I whakamārama ia: "Mēnā he monocoque katoa [te hoahoa], he maha ngā piko ka puta, ā, he uaua ki te hanga tika. Mēnā he anga wāhi katoa, ka pakaru tetahi wāhi ka pā ki ngā mea katoa, nā te mea ka kapi katoa ia pūtake paipa i ngā mea katoa." He rerekē te nui o te muka waro, te kevlar, ngā whāriki muka karāhe, me te muka karāhe kotahi te ahunga o te tinana, ā, kāore he hiko.
Ka taea e te anga pakari ake te whakahaere i ngā kawenga mai i ngā wāhanga whakatārewatanga nunui. Ka whakamahia e te Vector ngā ringa-A takirua pakari ki mua me te paipa De Dion nui ki muri, e mau ana i runga i ngā ringa e whā e toro atu ana ki raro ki te parepare ahi. He whānui te whakamahinga o ngā ngongo ru Koni ka taea te whakarite me ngā puna porowhita. He nui ngā pēraki 13 inihi. He kōpae hauhautanga me ngā calipers konumohe 4-piston Alcon. He rite te hoahoa o ngā peera wira ki ērā e whakamahia ana i runga i te 3800 lbs. He motuka NASCAR paerewa, ko te anga wira konumohe mīhini he rite te whānui ki te kēne kawhe. Kāore he wāhanga o te anga he iti iho i te paerewa, he rawaka rānei.
I roa te haerenga ki te wheketere i te rā katoa. He nui ngā mea hei tiro, ā, i mahi kaha a Bailey ki te whakaatu mai i ngā āhuatanga katoa o te mahi. Me hoki ahau, me haere.
He Rāhoroi, ā, i karanga mai te mīhini whakamātautau hina hina i whakamatautauria e mātou me tōna tatau tuwhera. He wero te tomo ki te kāpata mō te hunga kāore i te mōhio, he pakupaku ngā papa, ā, he iti noa te mokowā i waenganui i te nohoanga me te taha mua o te anga tatau. Ka whakamahia e David Kostka tōna mahara uaua ki te piki i runga i te papa matapihi me te ataahua o te mahi whakakori tinana ki te nohoanga pāhihi, ā, ka piki ahau ki te nohoanga taraiwa pērā i te tia hou.
He kakara hiako te hau, nā te mea he hiako te nuinga o ngā mata o roto, engari ko te papa taputapu whānui, he mea whakapaipai ki te hiako angiangi. He papatahi rawa te whāriki huruhuru Wilton, e āhei ai te whakanoho i ngā Recaro ka taea te whakarite hiko kia tata ki te kotahi inihi te tawhiti. Mā te tūranga nohoanga waenga ka taea e ngā waewae o te taraiwa te okioki tika ki runga i ngā pētera, ahakoa he nui te toronga o te āwhata wira.
Ka ora te mīhini nui i te hurihanga tuatahi o te kī, ka noho puku i te 900 rpm. Ka whakaatuhia ngā mahi nui o te mīhini me te tuku i runga i te mea e kiia nei e Vector he "whakaaturanga hiko-whakahoutia ā-waka rererangi," ko te tikanga e whā ngā mata mōhiohio rerekē. Ahakoa te mata, he tohu kōwhiringa taputapu kei te taha maui. Ko ngā taputapu mai i ngā tachometer ki ngā pyrometer pāmahana hau putanga rua he whakaaturanga "rīpene neke" e rere poutū ana puta noa i te tohu pūmau, me te whakaaturanga matihiko i roto i te matapihi tohu. Ka whakamārama a Kostka me pēhea te wāhanga neke o te rīpene e whakarato ana i ngā mōhiohio tere o te huringa e kore e taea e ngā whakaaturanga matihiko anake te whakarato. I pēhi ahau i te whakateretere kia kite i tana tikanga, ā, ka kite ahau i te rīpene e peke ana i te pere ki te 3000 rpm, kātahi ka hoki ki te noho puku.
I te toro atu ki te porotiti whakawhiti kua whakakīia ki roto i te matapihi i tōku taha maui, ka hoki whakamuri ahau, ā, ka āta hoki ki waho. I te whiriwhiri i tētahi huarahi, ka anga atu mātou i ngā tiriti o Wilmington ki te Huarahi Matua o San Diego, ki ngā pukepuke i runga ake i a Malibu.
Pērā i te nuinga o ngā motuka tauhou, kāore e kitea te tirohanga o muri, ā, he wāhi matapo tō te Vector ka taea e te Ford Crown Victoria te whakauru ngāwari. Whakaroahia tō kaki. Mā roto i ngā arai whaiti o te taupoki, ko te matapihi o mua me te pūihi o te motuka i muri i ahau anake taku i kite ai. He iti ngā whakaata o waho engari he pai te whakanoho, engari he pai ki te whakarite i tētahi wā me te mahere hinengaro o te waka e karapoti ana. Kei mua, ko te matapihi nui rawa atu pea o te ao e toro atu ana, e hono ana ki te papaaho, e whakarato ana i tētahi tirohanga tata ki te uku, he torutoru noa ngā mita mai i te motuka.
He rack and pinion āwhina-mana te urungi, he taumaha taurite, he tino tika hoki. I tētahi atu taha, kāore i te nui te whakapehapeha i konei, e uaua ai te noho tahi a te hunga kāore i te mōhio. Hei whakataurite, he nui te kaha e hiahiatia ana e ngā parai kore-whakatairanga—50 pauna mō tā mātou aukati 0.5-karamu ia mita—ki te whakaheke i te 3,320 pauna mai i te tere. Ko ngā tawhiti mai i te 80 maero ia hāora ki te 250 putu me te 60 maero ia hāora ki te 145 putu ngā tawhiti pai rawa atu mō te Ferrari Testarossa, ahakoa e whakamahia ana e Redhead te haurua o te pēhanga ki te pēhi hei whakaroa. Ahakoa kāore he ABS (he pūnaha ka tukuna ā muri ake nei), he tika, he tika hoki ngā waewae, me te whakarerekētanga kua whakaritea hei raka i ngā wira o mua i mua i ngā wira o muri.
I anga atu a Kostka ki te putanga ki te huarahi matua, e whakaae ana ahau, ā, kāore i roa ka kitea mātou i roto i te waka marino ki te raki. Ka tīmata te puta o ngā āputa i waenganui i ngā motuka, e whakaatu ana i tētahi ara tere tuwhera whakamīharo. I runga i te tohutohu a Rawiri, i tūpono ahau ki ngā raihana me ngā peka. I pēhi ahau i te porowhita whakawhiti ki roto i te awaawa tata ki te inihi, kātahi ka hoki whakamuri, mai i te Drive ki te 2. I tata te miihini ki te overclocking, ā, i pēhi ahau i te pātara penehīni konumohe nui ki roto i te parepare o mua.
Whai muri i tēnei ka tere tere, ka rere te toto i roto i ngā kiko roro ki muri o te mahunga; he mea ka aro koe ki te huarahi kei mua i a koe nā te mea ka tae koe ki reira ina tihe koe. Ka pupuhi te kuaha ururua hiko e whakahaeretia ana i te 7 psi, ka tukuna te whakanui me te haruru motuhake. Pēhia anō ngā parai, ko taku tumanako kāore au i ohorere i te tangata i roto i te Datsun B210 i mua i ahau. Engari, kāore e taea e tātou te whakahoki i tēnei tukanga i roto i te taputapu teitei i runga i te huarahi kore here me te kore e wehi i te wawaotanga a ngā pirihimana.
Ki te titiro ki te tere whakaterenga whakamiharo o te W8 me tōna āhua poro, e ngāwari ana te whakapono ka eke ki te 200 maero ia hāora. Heoi, e ai ki a Kostka, ka taea te eke ki te raina whero tuatoru – 218 maero ia hāora (tae atu ki te tipu o ngā potae). Engari, me tatari tātou i tētahi atu rā kia kitea ai, nā te mea kei te haere tonu te mahi ki te whakahaere i te aerodynamics o te motuka i te tere teitei.
I muri mai, i a mātou e taraiwa ana i te Huarahi o te Takutai Moana-nui-a-Kiwa, ka kitea te āhua matatau o te Vector. He iti ake, he tere ake i tōna whānui nui, ā, he āhua whakahīhī hoki. Ka horomia ngāwari e te whakatārewatanga ngā pupuhi iti, ngā pupuhi nui ake me te mātao (ā, ko te mea nui, kāore he piko), ā, he pakari, he paku toka te ekenga e whakamahara ana i ahau ki tā mātou Nissan 300ZX Turbo kua roa nei e whakatikatika ana i te takirere Tour Shock. Tirohia te whakaaturanga mēnā he noa ngā pāmahana me ngā pēhanga katoa.
Heoi, he teitei ake te pāmahana i roto i te Vector Black. – He hauhautanga tō tēnei waka? I pātai atu ahau me te reo nui atu i te tikanga. I pōkaikaha a Rawiri, ā, i pēhi i te pātene i te papa whakahaere hauhautanga. He onge te hauhautanga tino whai hua i roto i ngā waka tauhou, engari ka pupuhi mai te hau matao tata tonu mai i ētahi pūhau kanohi pango kua whakakikoruatia.
I huri wawe mātou ki te raki ki ngā pukepuke me ētahi ara awaawa uaua. I te whakamātautau o te rā i mua, i whiwhi te Vector i te 0.97 karamu i runga i te papa reti Pomona, te mea teitei rawa atu kua tuhia e mātou i runga i tētahi atu mea ehara i te motuka reihi. I runga i ēnei rori, ko te ara nui o ngā potae Michelin XGT Plus (255/45ZR-16 mua, 315/40ZR-16 muri) ka whakaoho i te maia. He tere, he koi hoki te kokonga, ā, he tino pai te pumau o te kokonga. Ko ngā pou matapihi nui ka ārai i te tirohanga i te tihi o ngā kokonga whaiti-radius i tūtaki mātou, te wāhi e ahua rite ana te Vector 82.0-inihi te whānui ki tētahi arewhana i roto i tētahi toa Haina. E hiahia ana te motuka ki ngā kokonga nui, nui ka taea e koe te pupuri i te pētera penehīni, ā, ka taea te whakamahi i tōna kaha nui me te pupuri me te tika me te maia. Ehara i te mea uaua ki te whakaaro kei te eke mātou i tētahi Porsche enduro i a mātou e reihi ana i roto i ēnei kokonga roa-radius.
Kāore a Peter Schutz, te Heamana me te Tumu Whakahaere Matua o Porsche mai i te tau 1981 ki te 1988, he mema hoki nō te poari tohutohu a Vector mai i te tau 1989, i wareware ki te whakataurite. "He rite tonu ki te hanga i tētahi 962, i tētahi 956 rānei, i te hanga i tētahi waka hanga," tana kī. "Ā, ki taku whakaaro he nui atu tēnei waka i taku mahi reihi i ngā tau tōmua o ngā tau waru tekau." Ngā mihi nui ki a Gerald Wiegert me tana tīma miihini pono, me te hunga katoa i maia me te whakatau ki te whakatutuki i ā rātou moemoeā.