Swimming With Cars: 9 Amphibious Vehicles

Even though less than 5000 German-designed Amphicars were built, you can still see them. Most came to America and many are still in use.

The Amphicar was built for five years starting in 1961; it was a compact convertible with a steel unibody and double seals on the doors. Using a 1.2-liter four-cylinder Triumph engine mounted in the rear, it drove the rear wheels through a Porsche transaxle. A transfer case switched power to two 12-inch propellers when you entered the water. With 11 inches of ground clearance, entering a lake or river was easy, and the Amphicar would cruise at 8 knots. The front wheels served as rudders. Top speed on the highway for the 43-hp car was 70 mph.

To publicize the car, the company once drove it across the English Channel. Legend has it that President Lyndon Johnson liked to terrify joyriding houseguests by pretending that his car's brakes had broken and driving the Amphicar into a lake.

Source: http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/news/pictures/swimming-with-cars-9-amphibious-vehicles?src=rss

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