PRICE REDUCED FROM $25,900*Super rare car/boat hybrid*One of 3,878 examples made *Left-hand drive*3.8L Buick V-6*Three-speed automatic transmission from Dodge PowerWagon backed...
PRICE REDUCED FROM $25,900
*Super rare car/boat hybrid
*One of 3,878 examples made
*Left-hand drive
*3.8L Buick V-6
*Three-speed automatic transmission from Dodge PowerWagon backed by Sunbeam or Alpine differential
*Aquamarine exterior with teal interior and removable hardtop
*Custom digital gauges
*Documentation includes a Phase Linear PCD instruction guide and various receipts
Face it, when you're out on the lake in your boat and realize you've left your phone in your truck or in the cabin, wouldn't it be handy to have a boat and a car in the same vehicle so you don't have to reel your line in and stop fishing? Now you can if you buy this Amphicar! That has been customized somewhere along the way to someones fantasy complete with an upgraded V-6 Buick power plant.
Finished in an aquamarine (which could be viewed as camouflage in some bodies of water) the car's paint and trim are in overall good order though with various blemishes visible at close range, as expected on a vehicle more than 50 years old.
The car's body work is solid and represents a good foundation but is in need of some restoration to return it to its full glory. The car has a removable hardtop for some open-air boatmotoring. We have not tested the car in water and found the chain that engages the props is missing and brake lights are inop.
For driving on land, the car wears generic radials in front, size 185/80B13, and Cooper Sportsmaster radials, size 165SR15 in back. Each tire is mounted on a steel wheel topped with a wheel cover. The tires are in very good order while the wheel covers are in good, original condition.
In place of the standard 1.5L four-cylinder engine from Triumph is Buick's workhorse 3.8L V-6 motor, linked to a three-speed automatic transmission from a Dodge PowerWagon and a Sunbeam or Alpine rear end. With the standard motor, the car was capable of 70 mph and eight knots (1 knot = 1.15 mph) in the water.
Inside, the car's two-tone turquoise bench seat looks great. No carpeting here but the black floormats are in great shape. The headliner and two-spoke, white steering wheel are in good, original order. The instrument panel has been retrofitted with custom digital gauges. Overall, the dash and inner door panels, complete with wood veneer, are all in good, original condition.
The Amphicar Model 770 is an amphibious automobile, launched at the 1961 New York Auto Show, manufactured in Germany and marketed from 1961 to 1968. Production stopped in 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 manufactured in a single generation.
A descendant of the Volkswagen Schwimmwagen, the Amphicar offered only modest performance compared to most contemporary boats or cars, featured navigation lights and flag as mandated by Coast Guard — and after operation in water, required greasing at 13 points, one of which required removal of the rear seat. Many of the brake and suspension parts were Mercedes, the original transmission internals and some parts of the fuel system came from a Porsche 356 and Quandt still owns a controlling share of BMW.
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. The Amphicar is made of mild steel.
The Amphicar's typical engine was mounted at the rear of the craft, driving the rear wheels through a standard four-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.
An added side benefit is the car does well in snow thanks to its 10 inches of ground clearance, a flat floorpan and narrow tires.
President Lyndon B. Johnson owned an Amphicar. Johnson, a known practical joker, was said to enjoy frightening visitors to his Johnson City, Texas ranch by driving them downhill in his Amphicar, directly into his property's lake, all while shouting that he had malfunctioning brakes.
Documentation includes a Phase Linear PCD instruction guide and various receipts.
“We like to think of it as the fastest car on the water and fastest boat on the road.” – Amphicar owner quote.
VIN: 106521809
This car is currently located at our facility in Fraser, MI. Current mileage on the odometer shows 1,231 miles. It is sold as is, where is, on a clean and clear, mileage exempt title. GET OUT AND DRIVE!!!
Note: Please see full terms and conditions listed below that pertain to the purchase of any said vehicle, thank you.
Showdown Motors Inc. 586-791-0778