America’s craziest ever supercar is up for auction with RM Sotheby’s in Arizona later this month. The Vector W8 Twin Turbo could be yours for £230,000 ($300,000). That’s a quarter of what you’ll pay for a similarly aged – and much more common – Ferrari F40, making the Vector a bit of a bargain.

Offered from a private collection, this is number nine of just 17 produced in the late 1980s and early 1990s. It’s had one owner since 1991 and covered just 2,268 miles. When new, its original buyer paid £135,000 ($178,000).

With a 6.0-litre twin turbo V8, the W8 produces 625hp. With some tuning, however, tests saw power boosted beyond 1,200hp.

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Standard performance figures were impressive enough, with a 0-62mph time of 4.2 seconds, and a claimed top speed of 242mph. A quarter-mile took 12 seconds, with a terminal speed of 124mph. That was amazing at the time, besting the Ferrari Testarossa by two seconds.

As well as its V8, the Vector borrows its three-speed automatic transmission from General Motors. Yes, a three-speed auto. Everything else is quite sophisticated, though. 

And just look at the thing. It’s very much inspired by fighter jets, and intended to resemble one. Vector even called itself an ‘aeromotive’ company at the time. 

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On the inside, the fighter jet theme continues, with toggles and displays not unlike what you’d find in a fighter cockpit. There’s even a big digital display, years before the infotainment screens of today. One readout shows how many hours the engine has been running, like those showing flight hours in aircraft.

Vector’s time in business was short-lived due to financial woes. No matter, according to founder Gerald Wiegart, who had achieved his goal of shocking the automotive industry.

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An incredible 3,000-strong collection of Matchbox toy cars has sold for £300,000. The owner, founder and chairman of H&H Classics Simon Hope, has built his 1:76 model collection over six decades.

All cars are immaculate, or very close. Simon says he wasn’t keen on rough play with them when younger. They were treasured, packaging and all, over the course of his time collecting. The full set is considered one of the most complete in the world, including some of the rarest cars.

Simon’s Matchbox collection started as a boy, with Christmas and birthday presents from family members. As he got older, however, he discovered the value of these motoring trinkets. That said, he simply bought the models he wanted, in the best condition he could.

The collection was sold over the course of three sales with Vectis of Thornaby in North Yorkshire.

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“It was only when I got older that I realised there was actually a collecting scene out there, and information on rarer versions and colours,” Simon said.

“I never took part in that scene, preferring to simply track down the ones I wanted in perfect (or as near as possible) condition. It just grew and generally they were bought with amounts of money not missed at the time.”

Today, some of these cars fetch four figures. Highlights from this collection include a lime green ERF Dropside lorry that made £7,000 on its own. A green Ford kennel truck brought home £3,200, while a white Ford Mustang made £2,100.

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“There is a big market out there for items like this, particularly the models from the 1970s as these things do tend to be generational,” said Julian Royse, a specialist at Vectis.

“We find the demand far outstrips the supply and as such people will be very keen to get their hands on pieces which may not come up again in their lifetimes.

“This collection was astounding and and probably had the biggest range of any I’ve seen.”