"Ko te whakaaro he hanga ingoa rongonui, ehara i te eke hōiho," te kī a Gerald Wiegert me te reo ngawari me te reo nanakia. Kāore te perehitini o Vector Aeromotive i te whai wāhi ki te kōwhiringa whakamutunga, ahakoa kua mahi ia mai i te tau 1971 ki te hoahoa me te whakaputa i te Vector twin-turbo, he motuka waenga-mīhini 2-nohoanga 625-horsepower e whakamahi ana i ngā rauemi matatau me te hangarau hanganga aeronautics Aerospace systems. Mai i ngā tuhi ki ngā tauira pahuka ki ngā tauira tauine-katoa, i whakaaturia tuatahitia a Vector i te Los Angeles Auto Expo i te tau 1976. I oti te tauira mahi i ngā tau e rua i muri mai, i honoa mai i ngā wāhanga i kohia mai i ngā papa para me te horoi mai i ngā wāhanga - hei whakarato i te whare. I kī ia nā te ngoikore o te ōhanga me ngā whakahē kino mai i ngā pāpāho motuka i whakararu i ngā mahi ki te whiwhi pūtea, ā, ko tana moemoeā ki te whakaputa i tētahi waka whawhai whenua mō ngā tiriti te āhua nei he moemoeā noa iho.
E tika ana kia whiwhi a Wigt i tētahi momo mētara mō tōna manawanui, i tētahi momo utu mō tōna manawanui. Whakahē i te ia o te ao, kaua e aro ki ngā wairua tangi o ngā haerenga kore angitu a Tucker, DeLorean me Bricklin. Kua rite a Vector Aeromotive Corp. i Wilmington, Calif., ki te hanga i tētahi motuka i te wiki. Me toro atu noa ngā kaiwhakataetae ki te wāhi huihuinga whakamutunga, kei reira ngā motuka e rua i kiriatahia e mātou e whakarite ana kia tukuna ki ō rātou rangatira hou i Switzerland (ko te Vector W8 twin-turbo tuatahi i hokona ki te rangatira o Saudi Arabia, ko tana kohinga motuka 25, kei roto hoki ko te Porsche 959 me te Bentley Turbo R). E waru atu ngā Vector kei te hangaia i roto i ngā wāhanga rerekē o te otinga, mai i te chassis hurihuri ki ngā motuka tata ki te oti.
Ko te hunga kāore anō kia tino whakapono, me mōhio rātou 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, kua 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 noa 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 hea tūmatanui e rua e hokona ana i runga i te kaute.
I te rā werawera o te poutumarotanga i te papa hokohoko o Pomona, Calif., i kitea te mahi whakapono nui a Wigt. I whakawhiti tetahi taraka papatahi e kawe ana i ngā Vector W8 TwinTurbo e rua i te huarahi whānui ki te ara tōia. I tangohia ngā uta e rua o ngā waka whanaketanga, ā, i whakauruhia e te ētita whakamātautau rori a Kim Reynolds ki tētahi o aua waka 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 hoatu e te Tumu Whakarae Hangarau o Vector, a David Kostka, ētahi tohutohu mō te whakatutuki i ngā wā whakaterenga pai rawa atu. Whai muri i ētahi whakamātautau kua mōhiotia, ka panaia e Kim a Vector ki te rārangi whakatauranga, ā, ka tautuhi anō i te rorohiko whakamātautau.
I puta te āhua manukanuka ki te mata o Kostka. I tika kia pērā. Tekau tau e mahi ana ia, tekau mā rua hāora ia rā, whitu rā ia wiki, tata ki te hautoru o tōna ao tūroa—me te kore e whakahua i te wāhanga nui o tōna wairua—e whakatapua ana ki te motuka.
Kāore ia e manukanuka. Ka pēhi a Kim i ōna waewae ki ngā parai, ka tīpako i te taputapu tuatahi, ā, ka whakamahia te whakatere hei uta i te pūnaha taraiwa. He kaha ake te haruru o te miihini V-8 konumohe-katoa 6.0-rita, ā, he rite te whiowhio o te turbocharger Garrett ki te tangi o te whitiki taraiwa Gilmer-type. Kei te whawhai te parai o muri ki te pakanga hinga me te taipana V-8 me ngā inihi whakamua o te motuka, e neke ana i te taura o mua kua mau ki runga i te papa. He rite ki te purukuri riri e kukume ana i tana motuka.
I tukuna ngā parai, ā, ka rere te Vector me te hurihanga iti o te wira, te paoa o te Michelin momona, me te takahanga iti. I roto i te kimo kanohi - he 4.2 hēkona noa iho - ka eke 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 haere tonu i te ara me te kaha haere tonu. Ka huri te awhiowhio o te onepu me ngā para porowhita ki roto i te korehau i te mea ka pakaru te hau i tōna āhua porowhita. Ahakoa tata ki te hauwhā maero, i kitea tonu te tangi o te mīhini i te tere haere o te motuka i roto i te mahanga. Ko te tere? 124.0 maero ia hāora i roto i te 12.0 hēkona noa iho.
Tekau mā rua karaka. Nā tēnā tatauranga ka eke te Vector ki mua i ngā kaikawe haki pērā i te Acura NSX (14.0 hēkona), Ferrari Testarossa (14.2 hēkona) me Corvette ZR-1 (13.4 hēkona). Nā tōna whakaterenga me tōna tere i uru atu ki tētahi karapu motuhake ake, ko ngā mema reti ko te Ferrari F40 me te Lamborghini Diablo kāore anō kia whakamatautauria. He painga ō te mema, engari he utu anō hoki; ko te utu hokohoko mō te Vector W8 TwinTurbo he $283,750, he nui ake te utu i te Lamborghini ($211,000) engari he iti iho i te Ferrari (he $400,000 te utu mō te F40 US-spec).
Nā te aha te mea e pai ai te Vector W8? Hei whakautu i aku pātai katoa me te whakarato i tētahi haerenga ārahi o te whare Vector, ko Mark Bailey te VP o te Whakaputa, he kaimahi o mua o Northrop me tētahi kaiwhakataetae raina Can-Am o mua.
I a ia e tohu ana ki te wāhi miihini o te Vector e hangaia ana, ka mea ia, "Ehara i te motuka iti kua whiria kia mate. He motuka nui kāore e mahi kaha."
He tokotoko pana V-8 90-tohu, he konumohe-katoa, e ono-rita te roa, he poraka nā Rodeck i hanga, he pane rango-rua-rērere nā Air Flow Research i hanga. I huihuia ngā poraka roa, ā, i whakamatautauria te dynamometer e Shaver Specialties i Torrance, CA. Ahakoa te aha; ko te rārangi wāhanga mīhini he rite ki te rārangi Kirihimete a te kaiwhakataetae mowhiti: ngā piston TRW i hangaia, ngā tokotoko honohono kowiri tira Carrillo, ngā takirere kowiri tira, ngā ringa rōra roera, ngā cranks i hangaia, maroke me ngā tātari motuhake e toru. Pūnaha whakakī hinu i te puna hinu. He paihere ngongo kowiri tira whiri me ngā hononga whero me te kikorangi kua whakakikoruatia hei kawe wai ki ngā wāhi katoa.
Ko te mea tino hira o tēnei mīhini kei roto i tana huihuinga whakamatao-whakaata, he mea hanga ki te konumohe, ā, he mea whakakanapa kia kanapa rawa. Ka taea te tango mai i te motuka i roto i ngā meneti mā te wetewete i ngā here aero tuku-tere e whā. He mea hono ki tētahi pūkaha turbocharger Garrett e rua te whakamatao-wai, ā, he wāhanga pokapū motuka me tētahi impeller me te whare motuhake mō te waka rererangi.
Ka whakahaerehia te mura e ngā koiri takitahi mō ia rango, ā, ka tukuna te wahie mā te werohanga tauranga maha, mā te whakamahi i ngā werohanga ritenga mai i te tīma R&D a Bosch. Ka whakaritea te mura me te wahie e te pūnaha whakahaere miihini Vector motuhake.
He pereti whakairi ataahua pērā i te mīhini tonu e whakanoho ana ki te taha o te pou. He pereti konumohe mira kikorangi kua whakakikoruatia, kua whakairohia, kotahi te pūmau ki te taha tāpiri o te poraka, ā, ko tētahi hei pereti urutau mīhini/tuku. He GM Turbo Hydra-matic te tuku, i whakamahia e ngā Olds Toronado me Cadillac Eldorado puku-mua V-8 i ngā tau 70. Engari tata ki ngā wāhanga katoa o te tuku 3-tere he mea hanga motuhake e ngā kaimahi kirimana Vector ma te whakamahi i ngā rauemi ka taea te tu atu i te 630 lb-ft. Ko te taipana i hangaia e te mīhini i te 4900 rpm me te whakanui 7.0 psi.
I hihiri a Mark Bailey i a ia e ārahi ana i ahau i roto i te toa hanga, e tohu ana i te anga ngongo maitai chrome-molybdenum nui, ngā papa honikoma konumohe, me te hononga epoxy me te rivet ki te anga hei hanga i tētahi anga pakari. He rau konumohe i roto i te wāhi whakaputa anga. I whakamārama ia: "Mēnā he monocoque katoa [te hanganga], ka nui te takai, ā, ka uaua ki te hanga tika. Mēnā he anga mokowā katoa, ka pā ki tētahi wāhi ka pā ki ngā mea katoa nā te mea ka tangohia e ia ngongo ngā mea katoa. " He mea hanga te tinana i ngā rahinga rerekē o te muka waro, te Kevlar, ngā whāriki muka karāhe, me te muka karāhe kotahi te ahunga, ā, kāore he ahotea o te hanganga.
Ka taea e te anga pakari ake te whakahaere i ngā kawenga o ngā wāhanga whakatārewatanga nunui. Ka whakamahia e te Vector ngā ringa-A takirua pakari i mua me te ngongo De Dion nui i muri, e tū ana i raro i ngā ringa e whā e toro atu ana ki te parepare ahi. He whānuitia te whakamahi i ngā ngongo ru Koni ka taea te whakarite me ngā puna porowhita. He nui ngā pērai 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. Ko te motuka NASCAR, ko te anga konumohe mīhini o te wira he rite te diameter ki te kēne kawhe. Kāore he wahi kotahi 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 pokanga ki ahau. Me hoki ahau ki te taraiwa.
I tae mai te Rāhoroi, ā, i karanga mai te motuka whanaketanga hina-pōuri i whakamatautauria e mātou me te tatau hurihuri kua totoro. He mahi uaua te tomo ki te hunga kāore i te mōhio, he iti noa ngā paepae me te iti o te mokowā i waenga i te nohoanga me te mua o te anga tatau. Ka whakamahia e David Kostka te mahara uaua ki te reti i te papa ka uru ki te nohoanga pāhihi me te ataahua o te kaiwhakangungu tinana; ka takahi ahau ki te nohoanga taraiwa pērā i te tia hou.
He kakara hiako te hau, nā te mea tata ki ngā mata katoa o roto kua kapi katoa ki te hiako, engari ko te papaaho whānui, he mea whakaoti ki te rauemi hiako angiangi. He papatahi rawa te papa whāriki huruhuru Wilton, e āhei ai te whakanoho i ngā Recaro ka taea te whakarite hiko i roto i ētahi inihi te tawhiti. Mā te tūranga nohoanga waenga ka taea e ngā waewae o te taraiwa te pā tika i ngā pētera, ahakoa he nui te urunga mai o te āwhata wira.
Ka ora te mīhini nui i te hurihanga tuatahi o te kī, ka taurite ki te 900 rpm i te wā e noho puku ana. 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 e wātea ana. Ahakoa te mata, he tohu kōwhiringa taputapu kei te taha maui. Ko ngā taputapu - mai i ngā tachometer ki ngā pyrometer pāmahana putanga rua - he whakaaturanga "rīpene neke" e rere poutū ana i roto i te tohu pūmau, me te whakaaturanga matihiko i roto i te matapihi tohu. Ka whakamārama a Kostka me pēhea te whakarato a te wāhanga rīpene neke i ngā mōhiohio tere-o-te-huringa e kore e taea e ngā whakaaturanga matihiko anake. I pēhi ahau i te whakateretere kia kite i tana tikanga, ā, ka mātakitaki i te rīpene e peke ana i te ngira ki te 3000 rpm, kātahi ka hoki ki te noho puku.
I te toro atu ki te kakau whakawhiti kua whakakīia, i kuhu hohonu ki te matapihi i tōku taha maui, ka hoki whakamuri ahau, ka hoki mārire ki te tiriti. Nō te whiriwhiri i te huarahi, ka anga mātou i roto 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 Exotics, tata kore rawa 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 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 pupuri i tētahi wā me te mahere hinengaro o te waka e karapoti ana. I mua, ko te matapihi nui rawa atu pea o te ao e toro atu ana ka tutaki ki te papatohu ki raro, e whakarato ana i te tirohanga tata ki te uku i ētahi iāri i mua i te motuka.
He whakaritenga āwhina-mana te urungi, he mama noa iho, he tino tika hoki. I te taha kino, kāore i te nui te aro ki a ia anō, e uaua ai te noho tahi a te hunga kāore i te mōhio. Hei whakataurite, he nui te kaha e hiahiatia ana e ngā pēki kore-āwhina—50 pauna mō tā mātou aukati mita 0.5g—hei kukume i te 3320 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 te Redhead te haurua o te pēhanga o te pēhi hei whakakore i te tere. Ahakoa kāore he ABS (he pūnaha ka wātea ā muri ake nei), he tika, he pono hoki ngā aukati, me te whakaaro kua whakaritea hei raka i ngā potae o mua i mua i ngā potae o muri.
I anga atu a Kostka ki te arawhata o te huarahi tere, e whakaae ana ahau, ā, kāore i roa kua tae mātou ki roto i te waka ngawari e anga ana ki te raki. Ka tīmata te puta o ngā āputa i waenganui i ngā motuka, e whakaatu ana i tētahi ara tere tuwhera ataahua. I runga i te tohutohu a Rawiri, ka tūpono ngā raihana me ngā peka ki te mōrearea. I panaia e au te poro o te rīpene taputapu ki raro tata ki te inihi te hohonu ki roto i te awaawa, kātahi ka hoki whakamuri, mai i te Drive ki te 2. I te mea kua tata te miihini ki te whakanui, ka tukitukia e au te pātara penehīni konumohe nui ki te pakitara o mua.
Kātahi ka tae mai te tere tere, tere tonu e pana ana i te toto i roto i te kiko roro ki muri o te angaanga; te momo e pupuri ana i a koe kia aro ki te huarahi kei mua, nā te mea ka tae koe ki reira ina tihe koe. Ka uru mai he keti ururua hiko e whakahaerehia ana i te 7 psi, ka tukuna he whakanui me te pupuhi tuwhera motuhake. Ka pēhi anō i ngā parai; ko te tumanako kāore au i whakamataku i te tangata i roto i te Datsun B210 i mua i ahau. Heoi, kāore e taea e tātou te whakahoki i te 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 whakamīharo o te W8 me tōna āhua poro, he ngāwari ki 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 — tae atu ki te 218 maero ia hāora (tae atu ki te tipu o te potae). Engari, me tatari tātou mō tētahi atu rā hei manatoko i tēnei, i te mea kei te tirotirohia tonutia te tere o te motuka.
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 Vector. He iti ake te āhua, he tere ake i tōna whānui nui me tōna āhua whakahirahira. Ka mimiti ngāwari te whakatārewatanga i ngā pupuhi iti, engari ka mimiti ngāwari ngā pupuhi nunui (ā, he mea nui ake, kāore e heke ki raro), ā, he pakari, he paku pōrearea te kounga o te ekenga e whakamahara ana i ahau ki tā mātou Nissan 300ZX Turbo roa, kua whakatūria ki te takirere whakamātao Tour. Tirohia te whakaaturanga kei te noa ngā pāmahana me ngā pēhanga katoa.
He wera rawa 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. Ka pōkaikaha a Rawiri, ka pēhi i te pātene i te papa whakahaere hauhautanga. He onge te hauhautanga tino whai hua i roto i tētahi waka tauhou, engari ka pupuhi tonu te hau makariri mai i ētahi pūhaumāota pango kua whakakikoruatia.
Kāore i roa ka tahuri mātou ki te raki ki ngā puke me ētahi rori awaawa uaua. I te whakamātautau o te rā i mua, i puta te Vector i te 0.97 karamu i runga i te papa reti Pomona, te tau 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 tapuwae nui o ngā potae Michelin XGT Plus (255/45ZR-16s o mua, 315/40ZR-16s o muri) e whakaoho ana i te maia nui. He tere, he koi hoki te kokonga, ā, he tino pai te papatahi o te tūnga kokonga. Ko ngā pou matapihi nui ka ārai i tō mātou tirohanga ki te tihi o ngā kokonga iti-radius i tūtaki mātou, kei reira te Vector 82.0-inihi te whānui e ahua rite ana ki te puru i roto i te toa Haina. E hiahia ana te motuka ki ngā kokonga nui, nui, ka taea te pupuri i te tere me 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 taraiwa mātou i tētahi Porsche reihi manawanui i a mātou e oma tere ana i roto i ēnei kokonga nui-radius.
"He rite tonu ki te hanga i tētahi 962, 956 rānei i te hanga i tētahi momo waka hanga," tana kī. "Ā, ki taku whakaaro he nui atu tēnei waka i te hangarau i a au i te tīmatanga o ngā tau waru tekau." Ngā mihi nui ki a Gerald Wiegert me tana tīma miihini pono, me ētahi atu katoa i manawanui me te whakatau ki te whakatutuki i ā rātou moemoeā.