Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

Rick · Site Admin Joined: 27 Apr 2005 Posts: 22783 Location: UK

Sorting out some books, I re-discovered one that tells the story of an amphibious Jeep that was sailed across the Atlantic.

Has anyone here tried their hand in an amphibious vehicle, whether small or large?

RJ
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colwyn500 · Joined: 21 Oct 2012 Posts: 1745 Location: Nairn, Scotland

In the '70s my Dad is and his mate made an amateur documentary about a bloke who converted a Beetle to sail across the Irish Sea, Blackpool to Dublin I think.

VW-Beetle-Irish-Sea-Crossing by peterthompson, on Flickr
I will see If he can provide any photos. This one off the internet.

Greg · Joined: 03 Dec 2007 Posts: 445 Location: Dreamland Margate

Great picture!.........for a moment I thought the 'Sat-Nav' had taken him down a wrong turn! Wink

Rick · Site Admin Joined: 27 Apr 2005 Posts: 22783 Location: UK

Herbie Goes Fishing Smile

RJ
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bob2 · Joined: 06 Dec 2007 Posts: 1728 Location: Malta

Well in 'Herbie goes bananas' it does swim actually so maybe like most mammals beetles have such an instinct too!!! Razz

DM · Joined: 21 Dec 2008 Posts: 213 Location: North Cornwall

Never tried an amphibious vehicle but you have reminded me of this one.

Rick · Site Admin Joined: 27 Apr 2005 Posts: 22783 Location: UK

Very Jules Verne Smile

R
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baconsdozen · Joined: 03 Dec 2007 Posts: 1119 Location: Under the car.

That reminded me of something that happened when I worked at a car sales site for a while.
We had an old ford that had been traded in and a mechanic was lifting up the carpets to check the floor,they were soaking wet as the screen had been leaking for a long while.
One of the car salesmen renowned for being on the dense side stuck his head in the window and asked what he was doing.The mechanic replied that he'd taken the car for a MOT check and the water was the result of the new test to check on rust holes in the floor.He said all cars were drive into a pit with a foot of water in it and if any came in it was a failure.This one had pretty obviously failed.
Later that day the salesman (who was caught hook line and sinker) took another trade in to the MOT station and demanded the confused tester shew him the 'New water thingy' before he'd entrust them with the car.

Scotty · Joined: 23 Nov 2007 Posts: 883

I've been researching this Hydrocar built in the 1930's by an Glasgow engineer -

This is the second of perhaps three development hydrocars built over a period of nearly 25 years. Sadly information has been very difficult to locate and consider myself extremely fortunate to even have discovered the image above of the second hydrocar - which appears to have been fairly successful on the water and land.

Rick · Site Admin Joined: 27 Apr 2005 Posts: 22783 Location: UK

Just thought I'd bump up this older thread, in case there are any more tales of amphibous car ownership/use out there? Smile

RJ
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emmerson · Joined: 30 Sep 2008 Posts: 1268 Location: South East Wales

Some of those might be useful in Cumbria just now.

Keith D · Posted: Tue Dec 08, 2015 2:49 pm Post subject:

Rick,

The amphibious Jeep that sailed not just the Atlantic, but around the whole world actually lives here in Western Australia. It is owned by Guildford Grammar School in suburban Perth. (This is THE school in Western Australia, like your Eton!) I learned only today that it is about to be restored and will appear in a episode of "Who do you think you are?" I don't know the tie up with Guildford Grammar, but the person who sailed it may well have been an old boy of the school.
That's all I know at present, but if anything further comes to my notice I will post it on here.

Keith

MVPeters · Joined: 28 Aug 2008 Posts: 822 Location: Northern MA, USA

Interesting Amphicar article in today's Hemmings:

http://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/2015/12/08/up-close-with-the-amphicars-of-disney-springs/?refer=news
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