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Friday, 26 June 2009 |
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Amphicar - by John Sutton
Amphicar
1961-1962 Deutsche Industrie-Werke, Lubeck-Schlutup
1962-1968 Deutsche Waggon-und Maschinenfabriken GmbH, Berlin
The Amphicar is an amphibious automobile, the first such vehicle mass-produced for sale to the public. The German vehicle was designed by Hanns Trippel and manufactured by the Quandt Group at Lübeck and Berlin-Bosigwaldeat from 1961 to 1968. Its name is a portmanteau of "amphibious" and "car".
Total production was 3,878 vehicles. Between 1961 and 1967, 3,046 Amphicars were imported into the United States.
The car is rear engined and uses a four-cylinder 1147 cc British built Triumph Herald engine producing 43hp. All Amphicars are convertibles and the civilian models originally came in only four colours: Beach White, Lagoon Blue, Regatta Red and Fjord Green.
The basis of the Amphicar’s electrics is a Lucas 12 volt positive ground system with certain items such as the horn, lighting and switches made by other manufacturers such as Hella and Bosch.
The Amphicar had a top speed of 7 mph on water and 77 mph on land. Hence it was dubbed the “Model 770”. The car moved in the water by its twin nylon propellers. A special two-part land and water transmission built by Hermes ( makers of the Porsche transmission) allows the wheels and propellers to be operated either independently or simultaneously. The “land” transmission is a four speed plus reverse unit similar to those found in the old VW Beatles. The “water” transmission is a two-speed offering unique to Amphicar with single forward and reverse gears. In the water the front wheels act as rudders.
When new the Amphicar sold for between $2,800 and $3,300 depending on the year. Later model years actually sold for less than those in the early years. No 1968 model year Amphicars were directly imported to the USA. This was because of the US Government’s EPA and DOT regulations that went into effect beginning with the 1968 model year vehicles. This caused financial disaster for the Amphicar Corporation since the USA represented about 90% of all its sales. The Amphicar factory in Berlin closed for good in 1968 and the remaining inventory of unused parts was eventually purchased by Hugh Gordon of Sante Fe Springs, California. Hugh’s Gordon Imports remains the Amphicar owner’s primary source for spare parts.
For more Information go to www.Amphicar.com.
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Last Updated ( Monday, 29 June 2009 )
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