Amphicar

The Amphicar Model 770 is an amphibious automobile which was launched at the 1961 New York Auto Show,[2] manufactured in West Germany and marketed from 1961 to 1968. Production stopped in 1965.

Amphicar Model 770
Amphicar Model 770
Overview
ManufacturerQuandt Group
Production1960–1965
3,878 built
Model years1961–1968
DesignerHans Trippel
Body and chassis
Body styletwo door cabriolet
with boat features
LayoutRR layout
Powertrain
Engine1147 cc straight-4 (Triumph)
Transmission4-speed
all-synchromesh manual
Dimensions
Wheelbase84 in (2,134 mm)[1]
Length171 in (4,343 mm)
Width62 in (1,575 mm)
Height60 in (1,524 mm)
Curb weight2,324 lb (1,054 kg)
Boating (River Main)
Motoring
Propulsion is provided by twin propellers mounted under the rear bumper
Amphicar gearbox
President Lyndon B. Johnson driving an Amphicar, 1965

Designed by Hans Trippel, the amphibious vehicle was manufactured by the Quandt Group at Lübeck and at Berlin-Borsigwalde, with a total of 3,878[2][3] manufactured in a single generation.

A descendant of the Volkswagen Schwimmwagen,[4] the Amphicar offered only modest performance compared to most contemporary boats or cars, featured navigation lights and flag as mandated by the US Coast Guard — and after operation in water, required greasing at 13 points, one of which required removal of the rear seat.[2]

The Amphicar name is a portmanteau of "amphibious" and "car".

Product description (1966 Amphicar Model 770)

Engine: Triumph four-cylinder engine of 1147 cc, 8:1 compression ratio, rated at 38.3 bhp

Chassis/body

Overall length 14.250 ft (4.343 m)
Overall width 5.083 ft (1.549 m)
Height 5.000 ft (1.524 m)
Turning circle 36.833 ft (9.398 m)
Wheelbase 7.000 ft (2.134 m)
Front track 4.000 ft (1.219 m)
Rear track 4.083 ft (1.245 m)
Fuel tank capacity 10.5 imperial gallons (13.125 U.S. gallons; 49.7 litres)
Empty weight 2,315 lb (1050 kg) (includes fuel and oil)

Appearance

Front undersurface is slightly pointed and sharply cut away below. The wheels are set low, so that the vehicle stands well above ground level when on dry land. Front and rear bumpers are placed low on the body panels (but fairly high in relation to dry ground). The one-piece windshield is curved. The foldable top causes the body style to be classified as cabriolet. Its water propulsion is provided by twin propellers mounted under the rear bumper.[5] The Amphicar is made of mild steel.

Powertrain

The Amphicar's engine was mounted at the rear of the craft, driving the rear wheels through a 4-speed manual transmission. For use in the water, the same engine drove a pair of reversible propellers at the rear, with a second gear lever engaging forward or reverse drive. Once in the water, the main gear lever would normally be left in neutral. By engaging first gear as well as drive to the propellers when approaching a boat ramp, the Amphicar could drive itself out of the water.[6]

Performance

The powerplant was the 1147 cc (69 in³) Standard SC engine from the British Triumph Herald 1200. Many engines were tried in prototypes, but the Triumph engine was "state of the art" in 1961 and it had the necessary combination of performance, weight, cool running, and reliability. Updated versions of this engine remained in production in the Triumph Spitfire until 1980. The Amphicar engine had a power output of 43 hp (32 kW) at 4750 rpm, slightly more than the Triumph Herald due to a shorter exhaust.[7] Designated the "Model 770",[5] the Amphicar could achieve speeds of 7 knots in the water and 70 mph (110 km/h) on land. Later versions of the engine displaced 1296 cc and 1493 cc and produced up to 75 bhp (56 kW).

One owner was quoted "It's not a good car and it's not a good boat, but it does just fine" largely because of modest performance in and out of water.[8] Another added, "We like to think of it as the fastest car on the water and fastest boat on the road."

Amphicar 1962.

In water as well as on land, the Amphicar steered with the front wheels, making it less maneuverable than a conventional boat.[9] Time’s Dan Neil called it "a vehicle that promised to revolutionize drowning", explaining, "Its flotation was entirely dependent on whether the bilge pump could keep up with the leakage."[4] In reality, a well maintained Amphicar does not leak at all and can be left in water, parked at a dock side, for many hours.[10]

In 1965, two Amphicars successfully navigated the Yukon River in Alaska.[11]

Two Amphicars crossed the English Channel in Sept. 1965[12] enduring 20-foot (6.1 m) waves and gale-force winds.[13]

An Amphicar was restored in the S11E07 episode of the television show Wheeler Dealers. The car was purchased in the United States for $35,000 and shipped to the UK. Its lower bodywork proved to be in poor condition and required complete soda blasting back to clean metal before welding of replacement panel sections. After a test drive in the Thames at Windsor, the restored vehicle was sold for £35,200 at a profit of £4,600 (at that time exchange rate).

Amphicar appears in the films Rotten to the Core (1965), The Sandwich Man (1966), The President's Analyst (1967), Inspector Clouseau (1968), The Laughing Woman (1969), Savannah Smiles (1982), Pontiac Moon (1994), and in the episode 5 of season 4 of The Avengers (Castle De'ath, 1965). It also appears in the TV movie All the Way (2016).

US President Lyndon B. Johnson owned an Amphicar. Johnson, a known practical joker, was said to enjoy frightening visitors at his Johnson City, Texas ranch by driving them downhill in his Amphicar, directly into his property's lake, all the while shouting that he had malfunctioning brakes.[14]

In a fifth season episode of the Simpsons, an antique filmstrip touts Springfield's famous "aqua-car" factory, showing Amphicars rolling off an assembly line and into the water.

History

Production started in late 1960. By the end of 1963 complete production was stopped.[15] From 1963-65 cars were assembled from shells and parts inventory built up in anticipation of sales of 25,000[16] units, with the last new build units assembled in 1965. Cars were titled in the year they actually sold rather than when they were produced, e.g. an unsold Amphicar assembled in 1963 or 1965 could be titled as 1967 or 1968 if that was when it was first sold, though the inventory could not be sold in the U.S. in the 1968 model year or later due to new environmental and USDOT emissions and safety equipment standards, they were available in other countries into 1968. The remaining inventory of unused parts was eventually purchased by Hugh Gordon of Santa Fe Springs, California.[17]

Most Amphicars were sold in the United States. Cars were sold in the United Kingdom from 1964. Total production was 3,878 vehicles. 99 right-hand drives were converted from left-hand drives. Some were used in the Berlin police department and others were fitted for rescue operations.

Amphicar shows and rides

Amphicar owners regularly convene during the spring, summer and fall months at various locations nationwide for "swim-ins",[18] the largest of which is held at Grand Lake St. Marys State Park, Ohio.[19]

In 2015, the Boathouse at Walt Disney World's Disney Springs in Orlando, Florida began offering public Amphicar rides to visitors, charging $125 per ride for groups of up to three. Disney heavily re-engineered and enhanced the eight Amphicars of various original colors[20] in its fleet for safety, reliability, and comfort.[21]

See also

References
  1. Cardew, Basil (1966). Daily Express Review of the 1966 Motor Show. London: Beaverbrook Newspapers Ltd.
  2. "The Amphicar 770 is a Car No One Understands, Everyone Loves". Petrolicious.com. January 8, 2014.
  3. "History Of The Amphicar", International Amphicar Owners’ Club http://www.amphicar.com/history.htm
  4. Neil, Dan (September 4, 2007). "The 50 Worst Cars of All Time: 1961 Amphicar". Time. Retrieved 2009-04-22.
  5. A. L. Manwaring, The Observer's Book of Automobiles (12th ed. 1966), Library of Congress catalog card 62-9807, p. 38
  6. "Amphicar 'Start Here'". Amphicars. Retrieved 2015-05-04.
  7. Hardiman, Paul (July 2012). "1965 Amphicar 770 Convertible". Sports Car Market. 24 (7): 58–59.
  8. Lewis, Mike (May 4, 2008). "Under the Needle: Amphicars make a splash on boating's big day". Seattle Post Intelligencer. Retrieved 2009-04-22.
  9. Davis, Tony (2005). Extra Lemon !. Sydney: Bantam. p. 147. ISBN 1-86325-550-8.
  10. Chapman, David. "Amphicars information pages". David Chapman.
  11. Automobile quarterly, Volume 35, Issue 1
  12. Dec 10 1965 Autocar magazine
  13. Popular Science - Google Books
  14. LBJ: The President Who Marked His Territory - Mental Floss
  15. Ulrich Kubisch, "On Water and Land: Amphicar Production time: 1960–1963" http://www.amphicar.com/Rescue.htm
  16. Kubisch
  17. "History Of The Amphicar", International Amphicar Owners’ Club
  18. "Swim-in Calendar – www.amphicar.com". amphicar.com. Retrieved 2018-07-24.
  19. "Amphicar Owners Club set 50th Anniversary Swim-in - Old Cars Weekly". Old Cars Weekly. 2018-02-27. Retrieved 2018-07-24.
  20. "The Story Behind the Disney Springs Amphicars". Retrieved 2018-07-24.
  21. "Up close with the Amphicars of Disney Springs". hemmings.com. Retrieved 2018-07-24.
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