{"id":44553,"date":"2026-03-06T12:36:51","date_gmt":"2026-03-06T11:36:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.italpassion.fr\/?p=44553"},"modified":"2026-03-05T11:09:33","modified_gmt":"2026-03-05T10:09:33","slug":"it-shares-its-v12-with-the-lamborghini-diablo-jeremy-clarkson-massacred-it-was-voted-worst-car-ever-tested-it-is-now-worth-250000","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.italpassion.fr\/en\/lamborghini\/elle-partage-son-v12-avec-la-lamborghini-diablo-jeremy-clarkson-la-massacree-elle-a-ete-elue-pire-voiture-jamais-testee-elle-vaut-aujourdhui-250-000-dollars\/","title":{"rendered":"It shares its V12 with the Lamborghini Diablo... Jeremy Clarkson slaughtered it, it was voted \u00abworst car ever tested\u00bb... today it's worth $250,000."},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Vector M12: a rare American supercar, powered by the same 5.7-liter V12 as the Lamborghini Diablo, equipped with a manual gearbox like a true exotic... and yet pilloried by the press, to the point of being proclaimed \u00abthe worst car ever tested\u00bb by AutoWeek.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How can a car that ticks so many \u201cfantasy\u201d boxes become a textbook case? To understand, we need to go back to a time when America wanted its own supercar, and one man, Gerald (Gerry) Wiegert, was prepared to move mountains to achieve it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vector, the American dream in a fighter jet version<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Vector is not primarily about the M12. It's an idea born in the early 70s: to build an American supercar that doesn't try to imitate Europe, but challenges it head-on. Wiegert founded his adventure and fashioned a signature: wedge-shaped lines, an \u201caeronautical\u201d style, a typically US excessiveness... and communication inflated by dizzying figures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Vector W8<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In the 80s, the Vector W8 Twinturbo crystallized this dream. On paper, it promised the unthinkable, an almost mythological top speed. In real life, the story turns sour: reliability problems, a cracking reputation, and even some famous customers going cold. Vector has the aura of a UFO, but also the scent of a project too ambitious for its means. The kind of fragrance that attracts enthusiasts and opportunistic investors alike.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1993: Geneva<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In 1993, Vector presented an heir to the WX3, announced at the Geneva Motor Show as a replacement for the W8. But behind the spotlight, the company was faltering. A hostile takeover by Megatech, an Indonesian group, ejected Wiegert from the helm. The man of design and vision loses control of his own creation. For Vector, it's the start of a second life... but a life that no longer quite resembles Vector.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Vector WX3<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Megatech moves the adventure to Florida, where the group already has offices. Priorities change: get a car out fast, cut costs, capitalize on an existing base. And in the group's basket, there's a huge asset: Lamborghini. Yes, in 1994, Megatech bought the Lamborghini brand for $40 million.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The \u201ceasy\u201d solution\u201d<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

The stroke of genius (or coup de force) is called M12. The idea is crystal-clear: use the Lamborghini Diablo as a technical base to quickly give birth to a \u201cnew\u201d American supercar. The Vector M12 takes the heart and major mechanical elements of the Diablo: the 5.7-liter V12 (around 492 hp in this configuration) and the 5-speed manual gearbox. The chassis is slightly lengthened, the bodywork is specific (fiberglass), and the styling retains some spectacular elements, such as the Lamborghini-style doors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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On paper, it's almost unstoppable: a legendary engine, an exotic manual gearbox, a niche name already familiar to enthusiasts... and a price announced at around 189,000 dollars, i.e. less than that of a Diablo. But on the road, a supercar is more than just its technical specifications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The shock of reality<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Production began in the mid-90s in the United States, a far cry from the Italian experience. And very quickly, the varnish cracked. The M12 was plagued by a fatal problem for a supercar: assembly quality that didn't match the storytelling. Fit and finish, overall coherence... everything that makes a six-figure car seem \u201cjustified\u201d in the eyes of a customer and a journalist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The result: trials become a court of law. Jeremy Clarkson, in a test that has become a cult classic, dismantled it without mercy. And above all, one verdict stuck to the M12\u00abs skin like a label impossible to remove: AutoWeek proclaimed it \u00bbthe worst car ever tested\". At this point, it's no longer a criticism: it's a media condemnation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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