Totnes, A Car on the River Dart - geograph

An amphibious automobile is an

automobile A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people instead of goods. The year 1886 is regarded ...

that is a means of transport viable on land as well as on or under water. They are unarmored for civilian use.

ATVs

Amongst the smallest non air-cushioned amphibious vehicles are amphibious ATVs (all-terrain vehicles). These saw significant popularity in North America during the 1960s and early 1970s. Typically an amphibious ATV (AATV) is a small, lightweight, off-highway vehicle, constructed from an integral hard plastic or fibreglass bodytub, fitted with six (sometimes eight) driven wheels, with low pressure, balloon tires. With no suspension (other than what the tires offer) and no steering wheels, directional control is accomplished through skid-steering – just as on a tracked vehicle – either by braking the wheels on the side where you want to turn, or by applying more throttle to the wheels on the opposite side. Most contemporary designs use garden tractor type engines, that will provide roughly top speed on land. Constructed this way, an AATV will float with ample freeboard and is capable of traversing swamps, ponds and streams as well as dry land. On land these units have high grip and great off-road ability, that can be further enhanced with an optional set of tracks that can be mounted directly onto the wheels. Although the spinning action of the tires is enough to propel the vehicle through the water – albeit slowly – outboard motors can be added for extended water use. In October 2013, Gibbs Amphibians introduced the Quadski, the first amphibious vehicle capable of traveling on land or water. The Quadski was developed using Gibbs' High Speed Amphibian technology, which Gibbs originally developed for the Aquada, an amphibious car, which the company has still not produced because of regulatory issues.

Cars

Amphibious automobiles have been conceived from ca. 1900, however the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

significantly stimulated their development. Two of the most significant amphibious cars to date were developed during World War II. The most proliferous was the German ''

Schwimmwagen The Volkswagen ''Schwimmwagen'' (literally "swimming car") was a four-wheel drive amphibious vehicle, used extensively by German ground forces during the Second World War. The ''Schwimmwagen'' is the most-produced amphibious car in history. Pro ...

'', a small jeep-like

4x4 Four-wheel drive, also called 4×4 ("four by four") or 4WD, refers to a two-axled vehicle drivetrain capable of providing torque to all of its wheels simultaneously. It may be full-time or on-demand, and is typically linked via a transfer case ...

vehicle designed by the Porsche engineering firm in 1942 and widely used in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. The amphibious bodywork was designed by

Erwin Komenda Erwin Komenda (6 April 1904 - 22 August 1966) was an Austrian automobile designer and Porsche employee, and a lead contributor to the design of the bodies for the VW Beetle The Volkswagen Beetle—officially the Volkswagen Type 1, informall ...

, the firm's body construction designer, using the engine and drive train of the '' Kübelwagen''. An amphibious version of the

Willys MB The Willys MB and the Ford GPW, both formally called the U.S. Army Truck, -ton, 4×4, Command Reconnaissance, commonly known as the Willys Jeep, Jeep, or jeep, and sometimes referred to by its supply catalogue designation G503,According to i ...

jeep, the

Ford GPA The Ford GPA "Seep" (Government 'P' Amphibious, where 'P' stood for its 80-inch wheelbase), with supply catalog number G504, was an amphibious version of the World War II Ford GPW jeep. Design features of the much larger and successful DUKW amp ...

or'' 'Seep' ''(short for ''Sea jeep'') was developed during World War II as well. A specially modified GPA, called Half-Safe, was driven and sailed around the world by Australian

Ben Carlin Frederick Benjamin Carlin (27 July 1912 – 7 March 1981) was an Australian adventurer who was the first person to circumnavigate the world in an amphibious vehicle. Born in Northam, Western Australia, Carlin attended Guildford Grammar ...

in the 1950s. One of the most capable post-war amphibious off-roaders was the German , that featured a hull made of seawater-resistant AlMg2 aluminium alloy. Extensively engineered, this costly vehicle was proven seaworthy at a

Gale force The Beaufort scale is an empirical measure that relates wind speed to observed conditions at sea or on land. Its full name is the Beaufort wind force scale. History The scale was devised in 1805 by the Irish hydrographer Francis Beaufo ...

10 storm off the North Sea coast (Pohl, 1998). Only about 100 were built – those who own one have found it capable of crossing the English Channel almost effortlessly. Purely recreational amphibian cars include the 1960s

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

and the contemporary

Gibbs Aquada The Gibbs Aquada is a high speed amphibious vehicle developed by Gibbs Sports Amphibians. It is capable of speeds over on land and on water. Rather than adding wheels to a boat design, or creating a car that floats, the Aquada was designed fr ...

. With almost 4,000 pieces built, the Amphicar is still the most successfully produced civilian amphibious car to date. The Gibbs Aquada stands out due to its capability of high speed planing on water. Gibbs built fifty Aquadas in the early 2000s after it was developed by a team assembled by founder Alan Gibbs before the company's engine supplier, Rover, was unable to continue providing engines. Gibbs and new partner Neil Jenkins reconstituted the company and are now seeking U.S. regulatory approval for the Aquada Other amphibious cars include the US

Hydra Spyder The Hydra Spyder is an open-top amphibious sportscar which began production in 2006. It is produced and marketed by Cool Amphibious Manufacturers International, LLC. The vehicle can seat four people and has a 500 hp engine in the standard model ma ...

and the Spira4u. Not all were successful with the 1979

Herzog Conte Schwimmwagen ''Herzog'' (female ''Herzogin'') is a German hereditary title held by one who rules a territorial duchy, exercises feudal authority over an estate called a duchy, or possesses a right by law or tradition to be referred to by the ducal title. ...

failing to get past the prototype and into production.Objects of irrational desire: the Herzog Conte Schwimmwagen
BBC Top Gear, Tom Ford, Published: 17 Mar 2016, retrieved 18 July 2021

External links

{{Commons category, Amphibious cars
FOMM Concept One

References

Wheeled amphibious vehicles Off-road vehicles

ATVs

Cars

See also

External links

References