These two American cars both capture the imagination but only one captured enough sales to be a successful business venture. The Dodge Viper RT/10 sparked numerous generations and is famous for its burly V10. The Vector W8 is more famous for its wedge shape and what could’ve been rather than any actual performance metrics. In this test, they go head-to-head in multiple drag races.
This particular Viper RT/10 is a pilot-production example, serial number 00005 from 1991 owned by the Petersen Museum. It originally came with 400 hp (298 kW) and 464 lb-ft (630 Nm) of torque. It sends that to the rear wheels via a six-speed manual transmission. Interestingly, it’s worth about the same today as it was new, roughly $50,000.
The Vector W8 is in a different galaxy by comparison. The most normal thing about it might be the 6.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8 under the hood with a claimed 625 hp (466 kW) and 648 lb-ft (880 Nm) of torque. It also employs rear-wheel drive only but does so through a three-speed automatic gearbox from an RV. The two cars weigh nearly the same so it would appear that the Vector has an edge on paper. That makes sense as it was about $300,000 when new. Today, it’s worth seven figures.
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The two cars line up to race from a standing start and the results aren’t even close. Whether or not that Vector W8 is actually making full power is unknown but to watch it one might think that it’s down about four cylinders. The gearing is so long and perhaps the turbo lag is so bad that the Viper screams away and leaves the Vector for dead immediately. At no point is the race actually competitive.
In round two, the cars start from a roll. While they don’t announce the speed it’s clear that the cars are traveling pretty slow when the race begins. Again, the Dodge has zero issues dispatching the Vector. The results are closer but second place is still the first loser in the case of the W8. Finally, the two cars try the same roll race style but from a higher starting speed. This time the W8 keeps up for a little longer but the Viper builds a gap over a half mile.
These two cars experienced a very different life after their initial launch but there’s no question that they’re both historic. Watching them race like this feels like a real-life attempt at repeating things many of us did on Gran Turismo years ago. Enjoy the nostalgia below.