You may think that submarines and battleships are the coolest thing in the water, but did
you know you could get your own amphibious vehicle?
Here are 9 of the most outrageous amphibious vehicles you have to see!
#9 Amphicar 770 If you can believe it, the Amphicar Model
770 was an amphibious automobile that debuted in 1961!
Designed in West Germany and funded by the American Quandt Group, there were less than
4,000 manufactured in total.
The car is a descendant of the Volkswagen Schwimmwagen, but it didn’t have great power
or any special amenities.
All it really had were the navigation lights and a flag that were required by the Coast
Guard, but past that, it was pretty basic.
Luckily the doors locked shut for water travel!
The Amphicar's engine was at the rear of the car, and it had a 4-speed manual transmission.
It was also paired with reversible propellers and floated around in neutral.
It had a power output of 43hp at 4750 rpm and could reach 7 knots in the water and 70
mph max on land.
Some owners changed the engines to improve their performance.
A lot of people complained that it wasn’t a good car, and it wasn’t a good boat.
One owner said it promised to “revolutionize drowning” and that it was the fastest boat
on the road and the fastest car in the water.
President Lyndon B. Johnson himself owned an Amphicar.
He was known as a practical joker and liked freaking out his visitors.
He would say he was going to take everyone out for a drive and then head straight into
the lake, pretending the brakes had quit.
Regardless of its weak reputation, people still have a soft spot for this car and now
you can get one for about $45,000.
#8 Gibbs Aquada The Gibbs Aquada is a high speed amphibious
vehicle that was developed by Gibbs Sports Amphibians.
It was only produced for a limited time between 2003 and 2004.
Only about 30 of these were made but in 2016, they decided to sell around 20 of them as
collector vehicles.
The aquada is a 3 seater with no doors and no top.
It can go about 100 mph on land and drive into the water, retract its wheels in 4 seconds
and become a boat at 35 mph!
There are over 60 patents covering the design of the boat.
It isn’t just a boat with wheels or a car that can float, but an entirely unique creation.
Gibbs has spent over 18 years and 200 million dollars developing this vehicle!
A lot of people mistakenly compare it to the Amphicar 770, and we all know what kind of
a reputation that had!
This vehicle though, is what you really want in an amphibious car!
To feel like James Bond of course!
It has a V-6 Land Rover Freelander engine with a water jet, and all you have to do is
drive into the water where the sensors will do the rest.
Like an airplane landing, the Aquada retracts its wheels.
It knows when it’s in the water, at what depth it is, and when to retract its wheels.
The road lights can even switch to marine lights automatically!
Rover stopped producing the engine and now the vehicle has to be re-engineered but no
worries, because the founder of the company, Alan Gibbs is a billionaire from New Zealand.
The vehicle has set records for crossing specific bodies of water in record time.
Top Gear magazine covered the Aquada when Alan drove it into and around the Monaco harbor
during the Grand Prix of Monaco.
Since the vehicle is approached and loaded like a boat but feels like a car, it is hard
to categorize it.
Most who have driven it feel it performs very well.
Before being sold, each car goes through rigorous testing to ensure it can withstand the water
and any treacherous paths it may encounter.
These 20 vehicles that were available sold for around $250,000, on a first come first
serve basis.
#7 Sea Lion The Sea Lion is the world’s fastest amphibious
car.
Invented by Marc Whitt, it was designed to set world records on land, and on water!
It is technically called an Amphibious World Speed Record Competition Vehicle, so don’t
get confused!
It can do 125 mph on the roads and then drive right into the water where it can go about
60 mph.
Marc built the car himself and designed the body so it could function as a road vehicle
and then also be waterproof.
It is a unique car as there is only one of them in the world and in 2012, the inventor
sold it for $259,500.
The engine is a 174hp Mazda rotary engine, and is just aching to take the title of the
fastest amphibious car in the world.
Though no one has proven it can do so.
Considering it can easily reach 125mph without any further enhancements, this is quite impressive.
With some changes to the engine, it can go 180 mph.
There are 25 contenders currently vying for the title of "world's fastest amphibious land
speed vehicle,"to hold the Guinness World Record.
However Guinness has not yet announced a winner so in the meantime, the Sea Lion holds the
informal title.
#6 WaterCar Panther WaterCar is an American company that specializes
in the creation of not just efficient, but luxury amphibious vehicles.
Now we’re talking!
Now this car also claims to be the fastest amphibious vehicle so we’ll just go with
it...
The founder was inspired by the Amphicar of the 1960s that I told you about.
Originally, the creator of WaterCar just wanted to build the car for fun, not market it.
But in 2013, 14 years after the he built it the WaterCar Panther was revealed to the public.
It has been called the “most fun vehicle on the planet” and can turn from a car to
a boat in under 15 seconds.
Now you can get the 2017 model for about $180,000.
Sometimes a car is enough but when there’s lots of traffic like in Miami, sometimes you
need to use alternative methods!
It has a speed of 80 mph on land and 45 mph on water.
You may think it looks like a floating Jeep, and with good reason.
The Panther was based off of a Jeep compact SUV.
So it is a great choice for you Jeep fans with some extra cash!
! Once in the water, the driver puts the vehicle in neutral, pulls a handle, pushes a lever
and the wheels lift out of the water while transitioning to “water mode”.
The company now offers a Fire Rescue version that is US Coast Guard approved and it can
transition from land to sea in less than 3 seconds.
#5 Terra Wind Motorhome What?
RVs can swim?
Well, apparently this one can.
The Terra Wind is known as the world’s first and currently only amphibious motorhome.
So, what’s the catch?
Just that it will cost you $850,000!
And if you want the works, it can go up to $1.2 Million!
The Terra Wind was created and released by CAMI, which stands for Cool Amphibious Manufacturers
International.
Of course it does.
But what may surprise you is that this baby is packed with 330-horsepower.
To transition into the water, twin 19-inch bronze propellers are activated to push this
32,000 pound monster through the water.
The Terra Wind is not only efficient, but comes with a nice deck on the back and an
outdoor shower.
You know, for when you’re in the middle of the ocean or river and you need a shower
out on the deck.
On the inside, you have leather furniture, marble accents, and plush carpet.
And of course a big screen TV!
Rather than sliding cargo racks, the Terra Wind has inflatable stabilizing pontoons that
keep it from rocking back and forth.
Although this guy is like a new age yacht, not many can afford one or you’d see them
crowding public waters all over the world!
#4 LARC-V The LARC-V (lark-five) stands for Lighter,
Amphibious Resupply, Cargo, 5 ton.
It is an aluminum-hulled amphibious cargo vehicle that can, you guessed it, carry 5
tons.
Invented in the 1950s, it is probably more widely used today than ever!
Military forces in Australia, Argentina, Portugal, the Philippines Singapore, Iceland and the
United States still use them.
The thing is, less than a thousand of them were made and over half of them have been
destroyed (on purpose as part of disposal when the US left Vietnam in the 70s’).
Still, about 200 are being used in the military and 100 are privately owned.
Random fact, many of them are used for tours in Iceland.
Unfortunately, they are not known for their speed, as their land speed is 30mph and their
water speed doesn’t reach 10mph.
But, during the Vietnam War, they were a great asset for their durability and cargo capacity.
Over the last ten years, some of these have been remodeled, tested and enhanced to create
even more powerful, useful military tools.
During the US Navy Service Life Extension Program, they changed the mechanical transmission
to hydraulic, and updated the electrical system.
These reworked LARCS were used for underwater construction teams and the maritime pre-positioned
force ships.
Towing capacity can now reach nearly 30,000lbs and bollard pull in water about 7600 lbs.
#3 SeaRoader Lamborghini Countach Amphibious Lambo?
Yes, please!
In a couple of seconds, all your childhood dreams will come true as you get a load of
this car!
Most Lamborghini’s are not so great on the water.
They are also ridiculously expensive.
But the world’s only amphibious Lamborghini Countach was sold for under $27,000!
Well, it was actually a replica, with the body used as the cover, and you could get
it on ebay.
But considering it is a Countach replica, it’s still pretty sweet.
Every detail is painstakingly accurate.
Even the body panels were molded from a Countach 5000QV.
The original countach was shown in 1971 as the Lamborghini LP500 Concept Car.
It had the famous Italian Wedge shape made famous by Bertone.
This SeaRoader, is often called the Amphiborghini and was built by Mike Ryan of England's SeaRoader
Amphibious Vehicles along with people from BBC's Top Gear.
And no it doesn’t have a V12.
Not only can it travel on land and water thanks to a Rover 8, but it even has a smoke screen
button!
How cool can this car get?
While it’s not James Bond’s Lotus Esprit submarine in the The Spy Who Loved Me, it
might be the next best thing!
#2 Gibbs Humdinga Alan Gibbs, from Gibbs Technologies (remember
him, the Kiwi who also created the Aquada), created this 5-seater Humdinga 4WD vehicle.
The Humdinga wasn’t announced until 2012.
Like the Hummer, it was created to access the most hostile of terrains.
But the Humdinga takes off-road to a whole new level as it can access both difficult
roads and of course the water!
The Humdinga can transition from land to water and vice versa with the push of a button.
When the transition is complete, the wheels retract and the power train disconnects from
powering the wheels to powering the jet propulsion system.
Due to its size and power, Gibbs often calls the Humdinga an Amphitruck.
It is always in four wheel drive and can travel at about 100 mph (160kmh).
On water, however it can still reach 30 miles per hour (65kmh).
Another unique thing about the Humdinga is that unlike most amphibious vehicles, it can
seat 5 people complete with luggage and supplies comfortably.
Why isn’t it on the market yet?
Well, it took 15 years and over a million man hours to develop so...they’re working
on it!!
They now have the Humdinga II and the Phibian out, but still, they are designed with the
military, rescue and humanitarian operations in mind.
Price is available upon request!
#1 Rinspeed sQuba The Rinspeed sQuba is the world's first car
that can be driven both on land and underwater.
What?
Weren’t we just talking about cars that went on water?
Yes, ON the water, but this takes vehicles to a whole new level!!
The sQuba is an underwater car.
This is a multipurpose vehicle.
The idea for the Rinspeed was inspired by the 1977 James Bond film The Spy Who Loved
Me and this car can literally drive under the water.
The sQuba is a zero-emission, all electric vehicle.
It has three motors.
One for land, and two for the water and it’s batteries are rechargeable.
But it can do more than dive, the Squba can also float on the surface until the operator
is ready to submerge it down to 33 ft (10 meters).
On land, it can drive up to 75 mph, but in and under the water, it can hardly reach 4mph.
But is that really the point?
No!
Considering it comes with cruise control, and lasers, and it can even go in salt water!
It was introduced in 2008, but has yet to hit the market.
The price is still unknown, but since it cost one and a half million dollars to build, chances
are it will be rather costly.
The seller promises that it will probably be cheaper than a Rolls Royce.
So what do you prefer, a Rolls or The Rinspeed Squba?
Thanks for watching!!
Which one of these is your favorite?
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