1963 Amphicar

More History

1. Amphicar was manufactured in Berlin Germany from 1962 to 1967. Approx 4500 were produced, most went to USA (at least 3700), There are maybe 500 still in regular use, with  are 7 in the UK and about 80 in the rest of Europe.

2. Even now, Amphicar is the only non-military Amphibious vehicle ever put into production on a commercial basis (i.e. more than 50 produced). The many rules and regulations for road and water going vehicles make it very unlikely that another car based amphibian will ever be produced.

3. Amphicar is capable of over 70mph on road, 8 knots on water. It is comfortable enough to drive 500 miles a day, road behavior is similar to a good 1960s European saloon car or  a 1980s American car.

4. Amphicar cost $5m to design in the late 1950's. It is totally watertight. The engine is in the rear, it is the same as used in the Triumph Herald, 1147cc, 43HP, transmission drives rear wheels through unique land/water gearbox.

5. Amphicar has connections with other manufacturers, many Amphicar employees came from Borgward and there are many parts in common between the cars. Much of the braking system and suspension is Mercedes. The transmission internals are Porsche 356 as are some parts of the fuel system. In 1967 the Amphicar corporation was owned by the Quandt group, who also owned and still own a controlling share of, BMW.

6. Amphicar failed because it was too expensive when new, however it is capable of some serious sea crossings, i.e. Africa to Spain, San Diego to Catalina Island and England to France (3 times, once in a force 6 gale).

7. Amphicar is made of steel so was prone to rust, however modern paint and waxes can stop rust being a problem. It does need more maintenance than other cars but maintenance schedules are no worse than some 4x4 vehicles.

8. Amphicar has the highest rear fins of any production car, about 1 inch higher than a '59 Cadillac.

9. Amphicar is great in snow, better than many 4x4s. With 10 inches of ground clearance, a totally flat bottom and narrow rear wheels Amphicar has tremendous traction and ability,

10. The car that looks most like the Amphicar from the rear is the Jaguar XK220, Below bumper level the shape is identical, a large bulge around the engine and everything very flat for ground effect/hydrodynamics. The Jaguar does not have the advantage of propellers which makes it much slower in the water !

11. Many people have tried to build a better Amphibian than the Amphicar, there are as many as 2 or 3 a year, to date nobody has managed to improve on the original package.

12. The last two companies to attempt production of Amphibious vehicles were Hobbycar of France and AmphiRanger of Germany. The production always was small scale / build to order but it's sad that the factories finally closed in 1996

13. Amphicar at the movies ! Check out the following films: "The Sandwich Man" and "Rotten to the core" (1960s English). "The Presidents Analyst" (1967) and Pontiac Moon (1992). TV includes The Avengers episode "Castle Derth"(1967). Pop Videos include Madonna "Start me up"(1983) and Jameriqui "Summertime"(1996) And don't forget the 1960's Come Alive Pepsi Cola commercial that had an Amphicar driving into the water at over 50mph.

14. Amphicars in British Museums, but ring first to check, now the only place is the Lakeland Motor Museum in South Cumbria, the Amphicars that were at Totnes and Beaulieu have been sold.

 

To contact us:

Phone: (313) 719-6500

E-mail: scott@watercar.us