I used to pump gas for a marina and maybe once or twice a season, someone who lived on the lake would take their Amphicar out onto the water for the evening. I even filled their tank once when they pulled up to eat at the restaurant the marina was a part of. It always brought a smile to everyone's face when they saw it.
Fourth. I'm happy with that, cos at least I wrote something 🙄 Love your vids Ed. You even seem to make depressing things (not this time) entertaining ☺️
I lived in Findlay, Ohio for a few (too many) years, and I was extricated from Cleveland Heights jail when they figured out I overstayed on my passport!.. Did we do time together?! 😳 Gotta be fair, northern Ohio has some pretty ferked up weather 😕
I am amazed nobody has made a knock off kit version of the Amphicar with fiberglass and a Honda motor. Especially with clean examples of these getting so rare and pricey.
Yeah, I don’t even know why Amphicar didn’t start with fiberglass in the first place. The number one killer of those already rare cars is rust. Since a lot of transverse engine cars have an output shaft to the rear for part time AWD, I would think it shouldn’t be too hard to adapt that layout to a rear engine Amphicar.
If you ever get serious, im a draftsman, inventor, and engineer, i can redesign things to avoid patent infringement lawsuits, etc, my entire life has been designing machinery, and id love to help... Lets also do isettas and Messerschmitt cabin scooter copies, and work our way to the nsu prinz and dauphines, bmw 600s, and fiat 500s, heinkels, etc... I know theyd sell like hotcakes
@@AtheistOrphan Well, the Dutton was amphibious and fibre glass but had the poor idea of being front engined and front wheel drive hence, it was nose heavy whereas a boat should have the weight at the back and front pointed up. Based on a Ford Fiesta.
Have a relative who owns 3 Amphicars. I've been in them a few times and here's a few observations: 1) Real world top speed was about 45 mph. 2) At the inside bottom of each door was an additional pressure latch, not unlike an old cooler. Fail to lock them and you'd sink. Amphicars didn't have a ton of freeboard. 3) The electrical systems were, surprisingly, more dependable than a Triumph Herald's. 4) Next to driving into or out of water, the most fun was waiting to after you left the lake and hit a stop light, then turned on the bilge pumps (again) to clear out the settled water in the engine compartment. Be ready for people behind you jumping out of their cars thinking you're dumping gasoline. 5) The brakes and steering on the water were very nearly as effective as they were on the land (not very).
Ed cited several good reasons that amphibious cars aren't more common, but I'll add one more: The use case for them is rather specialized. Unless you live in a rice paddy or you *really* want to avoid that toll bridge across the river, you really don't need an amphibious car that's practical enough to use every day. Like Ed said, they'll mostly be toys for the affluent. Kind of like most boats, actually.
I wonder who floated the idea for this episode? PS: I haven't been on a non-museum boat in at least 30 years, but I'd subscribe to Ed's Boat Reviews in a heartbeat!
A friend of mine had an Amphicar in the 80's. Sadly, it was rusted, not horribly, but enough that we knew not to take it in the water. Very interesting mechanically, not so much aesthetically. It was one of those "I'll get around to fixing it someday" vehicles, and he ended up selling it. As always, Ed, your reviews are not only spot on, but your humor is quite funny! Side note: when Hans Tripple was mentioned, I thought 'hey that name sounds familiar', only to find that he was the designer of the Amphicar. I *knew* I'd heard that name!
Pointless trivia, one of the reasons Amphicars failed was they were inadequately rustproofed from the factory, resulting in more than one owner dashing into the water and sinking outright.
I've insured two Amphicars and gotten to drive one. One person had a marine policy and an auto policy on theirs which I found super cool. Only freshwater though I believe.
I'm impressed that you were able to make this excellent video without a single picture of the WW2 Army DUKW. I had no idea how diverse the amphibious history was.
Saw an Amphicar parked at an auto shop in the 70's and was instantly drawn to it. I had no idea who made it, but even as a kid the rear propellers was a giveaway. LBJ would not have fooled me.
6:55 Johnson's guests may not have given much thought to the Amphicar's "boat like" appearance. It was the 60s and a lot of German cars looked funny, think VW Beetle, Porsche 356, Porsche 911, and the BMW 700. They probably assumed the Amphicar was just another wacky German car.
Ed missed the entire "land yacht" era of the sixties and seventies... I remember seeing an amphicar on display at our local mall back in the seventies. My James Bond obsessed cousin was also obsessed with the amphicar. It would have made a perfect Bond chase scene getaway.
But it's not a car. While the large military amphibious vehicles would make for several good videos of their own, they're just not Ed's specialty though.
In the Brazilian city where I live we have flash floods from moderate or heavy rains. Sometimes it gets so bad that people ride jetskis on the road, lol. So I'd say amphibious vehicles just aimed at the wrong market. Go for poorly-designed third world cities and you'll find your clientele.
The only sillier thing than an amphibious car, is one that flies. Flying cars fall in the same problem as amphibious cars, they're too bulky and fragile to be a decent car, and are heavy and have a lot of drag in the sky. You're much better off getting a decent low end sportscar, like a Miata, a nice low performance airplane and using the money you're not spending to buy fuel for your flying car on having fun.
The could have used the input from Professor Caractacus Potts! Look at what he did for Chitty-Chitty Bang-Bang! Haha! I always heard it was bad to get a car's brakes wet, so I wonder how that was handled! It would also be interesting to see a video on Hovercrafts, as they were the larger versions of aquatic cars!
Saw one on land in Tell City Indiana at Kroger grocery store on Indiana highway 66. And later saw it in the Ohio River at the Tell City boat launch area ramp. Mid 1960s
When I got my new 1966 VW Fastback the VW boom here In Southern California was in full swing. Stories about a VW Bug, fresh off the boat from Wolfsburg being picked up by a dock crane, and dropped into a tank of water just because its shipping treatment would keep it from sinking were in popular magazines of the time. I gave my younger sister her first ride in my new car, and there being a Christmas boat parade nearby we drove to a boat ramp to park and watch it pass by. I joked to her that since VWs could float maybe we should just drive down and join in the parade. She objected or course, but almost as soon as we had settled that I was not about to try it, an Amphicar drove right past us and did just that.
Growing up by the Ohio river, I always thought a boat-car would be cool, but just having a boat and a friend with a car across the river always seemed to be the result.
Almost bought One, but where I would have used it, it would have been swamped to easily ($1650.00 US, new) Eight Inch freeboard is simply not enough for our river chop. I remember "National Geographic" magazine running stories of a SEEP 'touring' the pacific islands.
Addendum to the Amphicar story: the only Amphibious Ice Cream Van in the world is a modified one. She's called *HMS Flake 99* (no, really 😊). Then again we Brit's do have some of the only Ice Cream Vans with three axles and all wheel drive 😂 .
It doesn't seem entirely coincidental that Rambler (which the Amphicar generally resembles) also made a model 770 car. Ald F.J. Edwards is who "EFJAY" is.
Blub - blub- bubble - blub ... I bought a Hyundai because the brochure clearly showed a spectacularly well-endowed young lady changing out of a wetsuit behind the shelter of the open door of a Hyundai 1800 Coupe. I've been driving it now for nearly ten years, but Mrs. Wirebrush neither owns a wetsuit, nor shows any inclination to change out of one behind the door of my reasonably-priced slightly sporty reliable Korean car. I'm starting to think that advertising might be lying to us.
I remember back in my younger days in the late '60's and early '70's a guy in town had one. never saw in on the lake but you did sometimes see him driving around town in it.
Any reason you left out the DUKW? I know it might technically be an amphibious truck, but it meets all other criteria and was manufactured in large numbers.
When Ivwas in boarding school, we had at the THW (technical aid workers)a retired US swimming vehicle of 60 years age for high waters on the Weser-river if need was.
Little known "fact"... God instructed Noah to build the Ark as an amphibious vehicle, which Noah duly did. This would enable Noah to "drive the Ark down from Mount Ararat. However when it came time to load up the ark the Brontosaurus couple, who were the designated vehicle team, refused to get on the boat.. And the rest is "history"...
I had an operating toy amphicar as a kid. Our next door neighbor drove over it. I never talked to him again. Which was OK byhim. There is a business in FL. that has several amphicars and takes people out on a lake. Adam the Woo did one. They have bilge pump and the door seals must be perfect. Easily swamped.
I don't know if they're still doing it, but Disney Springs had an attraction where they would take you around one of the lakes in an Amphicar. They had a fleet of about five or so, and it looked like a fairly popular attraction on the day I visited.
There is a cool new car called BYD U8 that can drive on water not a true amphibian and more for emergencies but to be able to do that in a normal looking car is fascinating
There is an old saying that the 2 happiest days of a boat owner is the day the buy it and the day they sold it. Given the flaws of the Amphicar, the selling day joy would be doubled. I recall them as a child/young teen when new in my home area of Northern NJ, not far from NY City and saw a few around my area on the road. I wish you had used a better picture of Pres. Lyndon Johnson than the one of the moment he took the oath of office as President (he was the Vice-President) after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. I was aware of the stories of his Amphicar. I was also aware of some of the other attempts for amphibious boat-cars but indeed like with flying cars, they are terrible compromises that don't work well for either function.
I don't think Ed intended to be 'tasteless', it is one of the best known photos of him, likely it just something didn't know the backstory of it. (I am born and always lived in the USA all my 68 years so 9 years old when the assassination and the sensitivity of it. He did see the car that JFK was assassinated in and noted it in his video when he visited the Ford Museum last year. @@fredsilva7274
I wangled a ride in an Amphicar once. Saw the thing going the other way, realized they were headed to the river, and turned around and gave chase. Gloriously, I arrived at the boat ramp in time to watch the onlooker's faces when he drove down the ramp. When he returned, I offered my appreciation of the opportunity to witness such a rare event, upon which he offered me a spin. I accepted with alacrity. Funny thing is, I still can't remember what color it was.
You can actually book a short trip on an Amphicar at Disney Springs at Walt Disney World. I hear it is very expensive, but it includes a skipper and time around the lake they have there. For the really "adventurous" tourist!
This was another interesting episode. At 4:30, when Hans Trippel was subscribing to this channel in the 1950's, he might have been subscriber #1 - bravo to him.
Well done Ed, from someone who has 3 Amphicars. They are neither a great car or boat, but they are a fantastic novelty that never fails to create smiles and lasting memories.
These cars are for men who've been embarrassed too many times at backing their motorboats into the lake/lagoon/river/ocean at concrete boat ramps and failing at it and don't want their manhood to be questioned ever again.
I remember that episode! It broke down in the water and Mike and Ed had to be rescued. According to the DVLA that particular one was SORN less than a year after the programme was made.
We have a tourist-focused city in the state of Wisconsin that has a few competing businesses with "duck boats" as a mobile tourist attraction! What a fun episode :)
@@MajorT0m It is a great series. It also reinforced my distrust of tourist/entertainment industry equipment. I'll never ride a DUKW or carnival ride again, I've seen and read too much.
This better have Dutton cars - they are still made today and I've heard they're pretty good. They don't rust, at any rate. I want a "Reef" - it's based on Ford Fiesta running gear and seems reasonably priced.
I can't believe you brought up nautical styling and didn't mention the Chrysler Sebring. They even put grooves in the hood to make it look like boat decking.
In Poland we have one famous movie about a person driving a Shwimmwagen. It's called Pan Samochodzik [Mr. Car] and Polish actor Stanisław Mikulski is searching for a treasure in Malbork castle. He has that swimming car and that's where his nick came from.
How could you make mention of so many amphibious vehicles and manage to avoid the GMC DUKW (Duck) of World War II ? While you are correct that the Ford GPA (Seep) was not a particularly successful vehicle, the GMC DUKW was very successful in its amphibious role. Many of these WWII vehicles still survive in active use today as river and lake tour vehicles. Also worthy of mention are the Studebaker M29 and M29C (Weasel) cargo carriers. Though less like a car (due to its tracked suspension), the Weasel could travel successfully on land and across snow and water. Note the wide use of this vehicle by Patton's 3rd Army in Europe for just this reason.
Our tiny Canadian city (Kimberley BC) had TWO Amphicars. I got to ride in one; so did an elderly Cambodian refugee of illiterate + impoverished + brutalized background. Beyond imagining for her!
Thank you, Ed for showing the silhouette of the BMW E21 @0:48 as the example of the combination of car and boat. And for any 2002 owners out there, get bent!!
@@BatCaveOz, I'm happy to realize that you obviously know my childhood better than I do. Maybe I should ask you some questions about things I don't exactly recall but know happened?
@@persjofors2586 --- I'm in southern Wisconsin, and I saw plenty of them as I was growing up in the 60's and 70's. Over time, there were less and less but I still spot about one every year someplace. I don't think there are less of them, it's just that they're packed away in rich people's garages as trophies. I wish I had bought one when they were cheap. I can remember when you could get a nice one for 10K, but that was still a substantial amount back in the 80's or so.
The houseboat towing capabilities of the Amphicar made it to a 1966 Caravnning Newsreel : th-cam.com/video/TINnkgnJu28/w-d-xo.html Or perhaps lack of capability. Both examples seem to be listing to the driver side to me.
![ผัวเถื่อน - ยูริ โตเกียวมิวสิค [ OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO ]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/P08ORRVDGl8/mqdefault.jpg)
I used to pump gas for a marina and maybe once or twice a season, someone who lived on the lake would take their Amphicar out onto the water for the evening. I even filled their tank once when they pulled up to eat at the restaurant the marina was a part of. It always brought a smile to everyone's face when they saw it.
Cool 😊
I ride a motorbike in Britain. I'm always amphibious 🌊😞
Fourth. I'm happy with that, cos at least I wrote something 🙄
Love your vids Ed. You even seem to make depressing things (not this time) entertaining ☺️
I live in north eastern Ohio and only ride a motorcycle, rain and in the snow. Does that make me tri-phibious?
I lived in Findlay, Ohio for a few (too many) years, and I was extricated from Cleveland Heights jail when they figured out I overstayed on my passport!..
Did we do time together?! 😳
Gotta be fair, northern Ohio has some pretty ferked up weather 😕
@@popsferealno offense intended, but no, it doesn't make you "tri-phibious", it just makes you stupid.
Try it in Ireland....
I am amazed nobody has made a knock off kit version of the Amphicar with fiberglass and a Honda motor. Especially with clean examples of these getting so rare and pricey.
I think U.K kit-car maker Dutton did so in the eighties. It wasn’t a success.
Yeah, I don’t even know why Amphicar didn’t start with fiberglass in the first place. The number one killer of those already rare cars is rust. Since a lot of transverse engine cars have an output shaft to the rear for part time AWD, I would think it shouldn’t be too hard to adapt that layout to a rear engine Amphicar.
If you ever get serious, im a draftsman, inventor, and engineer, i can redesign things to avoid patent infringement lawsuits, etc, my entire life has been designing machinery, and id love to help... Lets also do isettas and Messerschmitt cabin scooter copies, and work our way to the nsu prinz and dauphines, bmw 600s, and fiat 500s, heinkels, etc... I know theyd sell like hotcakes
@@AtheistOrphan Well, the Dutton was amphibious and fibre glass but had the poor idea of being front engined and front wheel drive hence, it was nose heavy whereas a boat should have the weight at the back and front pointed up. Based on a Ford Fiesta.
@@ajivins1 - Good call.
The 1930 boat tail cars are some of the most beautiful cars ever made.
Have a relative who owns 3 Amphicars. I've been in them a few times and here's a few observations:
1) Real world top speed was about 45 mph.
2) At the inside bottom of each door was an additional pressure latch, not unlike an old cooler. Fail to lock them and you'd sink. Amphicars didn't have a ton of freeboard.
3) The electrical systems were, surprisingly, more dependable than a Triumph Herald's.
4) Next to driving into or out of water, the most fun was waiting to after you left the lake and hit a stop light, then turned on the bilge pumps (again) to clear out the settled water in the engine compartment. Be ready for people behind you jumping out of their cars thinking you're dumping gasoline.
5) The brakes and steering on the water were very nearly as effective as they were on the land (not very).
Ed cited several good reasons that amphibious cars aren't more common, but I'll add one more: The use case for them is rather specialized. Unless you live in a rice paddy or you *really* want to avoid that toll bridge across the river, you really don't need an amphibious car that's practical enough to use every day. Like Ed said, they'll mostly be toys for the affluent. Kind of like most boats, actually.
Or of you love on a small island with irregular or overpriced ferry service
I wonder who floated the idea for this episode?
PS: I haven't been on a non-museum boat in at least 30 years, but I'd subscribe to Ed's Boat Reviews in a heartbeat!
Awesome dad joke
A friend of mine had an Amphicar in the 80's. Sadly, it was rusted, not horribly, but enough that we knew not to take it in the water. Very interesting mechanically, not so much aesthetically. It was one of those "I'll get around to fixing it someday" vehicles, and he ended up selling it. As always, Ed, your reviews are not only spot on, but your humor is quite funny!
Side note: when Hans Tripple was mentioned, I thought 'hey that name sounds familiar', only to find that he was the designer of the Amphicar. I *knew* I'd heard that name!
Pointless trivia, one of the reasons Amphicars failed was they were inadequately rustproofed from the factory, resulting in more than one owner dashing into the water and sinking outright.
Ed, I'm impressed by your ever creative exploration into cars. So many different stories! Thank you.
I've insured two Amphicars and gotten to drive one. One person had a marine policy and an auto policy on theirs which I found super cool. Only freshwater though I believe.
I'm impressed that you were able to make this excellent video without a single picture of the WW2 Army DUKW. I had no idea how diverse the amphibious history was.
Saw an Amphicar parked at an auto shop in the 70's and was instantly drawn to it. I had no idea who made it, but even as a kid the rear propellers was a giveaway. LBJ would not have fooled me.
6:55 Johnson's guests may not have given much thought to the Amphicar's "boat like" appearance. It was the 60s and a lot of German cars looked funny, think VW Beetle, Porsche 356, Porsche 911, and the BMW 700. They probably assumed the Amphicar was just another wacky German car.
Ed missed the entire "land yacht" era of the sixties and seventies... I remember seeing an amphicar on display at our local mall back in the seventies. My James Bond obsessed cousin was also obsessed with the amphicar. It would have made a perfect Bond chase scene getaway.
It would never top that Lotus Esprit submarine in The Spy Who Loved Me.
A friend of mine here in San Diego has a 1961 Amphicar. He does drive it around town but I’ve never seen him take it into the water. It’s a cute car.
I'm surprised you didn't mention the GMC DUKW, perhaps one of the most famous amphibious vehicles!
But it's not a car. While the large military amphibious vehicles would make for several good videos of their own, they're just not Ed's specialty though.
perhaps not
I've been in one of those.
@@TheOtherBill But he does cover the floating buses.....
I thought you had already covered land yachts... jokes aside, great video as ever, love your content :)
Thanks again ED for quality content, was there a part 2 for the Australian car industry , cheers CB Australia 🇦🇺👍
now i want an episode about the history of flying cars lol
In the Brazilian city where I live we have flash floods from moderate or heavy rains. Sometimes it gets so bad that people ride jetskis on the road, lol.
So I'd say amphibious vehicles just aimed at the wrong market. Go for poorly-designed third world cities and you'll find your clientele.
The only sillier thing than an amphibious car, is one that flies. Flying cars fall in the same problem as amphibious cars, they're too bulky and fragile to be a decent car, and are heavy and have a lot of drag in the sky. You're much better off getting a decent low end sportscar, like a Miata, a nice low performance airplane and using the money you're not spending to buy fuel for your flying car on having fun.
Florida man here. If you ever come to Disney World, come to Disney Springs and you can take a ride in one of their 8 Amphicars. It is fun!!
I like you Ed! You're surprisingly knowledgeable and very entertaining! Good job old man!
The could have used the input from Professor Caractacus Potts! Look at what he did for Chitty-Chitty Bang-Bang! Haha! I always heard it was bad to get a car's brakes wet, so I wonder how that was handled! It would also be interesting to see a video on Hovercrafts, as they were the larger versions of aquatic cars!
Saw one on land in Tell City Indiana at Kroger grocery store on Indiana highway 66. And later saw it in the Ohio River at the Tell City boat launch area ramp. Mid 1960s
When I got my new 1966 VW Fastback the VW boom here In Southern California was in full swing. Stories about a VW Bug, fresh off the boat from Wolfsburg being picked up by a dock crane, and dropped into a tank of water just because its shipping treatment would keep it from sinking were in popular magazines of the time. I gave my younger sister her first ride in my new car, and there being a Christmas boat parade nearby we drove to a boat ramp to park and watch it pass by.
I joked to her that since VWs could float maybe we should just drive down and join in the parade. She objected or course, but almost as soon as we had settled that I was not about to try it, an Amphicar drove right past us and did just that.
Amphicar must be the smallest car to "handle like a boat".
Growing up by the Ohio river, I always thought a boat-car would be cool, but just having a boat and a friend with a car across the river always seemed to be the result.
Almost bought One, but where I would have used it, it would have been swamped to easily ($1650.00 US, new) Eight Inch freeboard is simply not enough for our river chop. I remember "National Geographic" magazine running stories of a SEEP 'touring' the pacific islands.
Addendum to the Amphicar story: the only Amphibious Ice Cream Van in the world is a modified one. She's called *HMS Flake 99* (no, really 😊).
Then again we Brit's do have some of the only Ice Cream Vans with three axles and all wheel drive 😂 .
I find the idea of an amphibious car so fascinating.
It doesn't seem entirely coincidental that Rambler (which the Amphicar generally resembles) also made a model 770 car. Ald F.J. Edwards is who "EFJAY" is.
Blub - blub- bubble - blub ...
I bought a Hyundai because the brochure clearly showed a spectacularly well-endowed young lady changing out of a wetsuit behind the shelter of the open door of a Hyundai 1800 Coupe.
I've been driving it now for nearly ten years, but Mrs. Wirebrush neither owns a wetsuit, nor shows any inclination to change out of one behind the door of my reasonably-priced slightly sporty reliable Korean car.
I'm starting to think that advertising might be lying to us.
If only Ted Kennedy owned one....
I remember back in my younger days in the late '60's and early '70's a guy in town had one. never saw in on the lake but you did sometimes see him driving around town in it.
Any reason you left out the DUKW? I know it might technically be an amphibious truck, but it meets all other criteria and was manufactured in large numbers.
When Ivwas in boarding school, we had at the THW (technical aid workers)a retired US swimming vehicle of 60 years age for high waters on the Weser-river if need was.
A great review, Ed. One of these used to tool around the town I lived in as a kid. The driver always looked like he was having fun.
I understand that we would have had cars/boats in the 1800's but the horses kept drowning
My horse up and drowned the last time I played water polo. 😢
Rode in one of the amphicars back in the 60's. Totally an experience. Was a lake in central Michigan.
What's better than a car with a top speed < 60 mph? A boat with a top speed of 3 knots. Duck tours, using DUKWs does it way better.
Little known "fact"... God instructed Noah to build the Ark as an amphibious vehicle, which Noah duly did. This would enable Noah to "drive the Ark down from Mount Ararat. However when it came time to load up the ark the Brontosaurus couple, who were the designated vehicle team, refused to get on the boat.. And the rest is "history"...
Sorry Ed, I am not here to claim "first" or "second"......I am just here because I subscribe to you channel, and like watching your videos.
Do trucks, semi trucks, pickups, semitrailers.... a hundred videos each pls :D
I had an operating toy amphicar as a kid. Our next door neighbor drove over it. I never talked to him again. Which was OK byhim. There is a business in FL. that has several amphicars and takes people out on a lake. Adam the Woo did one. They have bilge pump and the door seals must be perfect. Easily swamped.
I don't know if they're still doing it, but Disney Springs had an attraction where they would take you around one of the lakes in an Amphicar. They had a fleet of about five or so, and it looked like a fairly popular attraction on the day I visited.
There is a cool new car called BYD U8 that can drive on water not a true amphibian and more for emergencies but to be able to do that in a normal looking car is fascinating
There is an old saying that the 2 happiest days of a boat owner is the day the buy it and the day they sold it. Given the flaws of the Amphicar, the selling day joy would be doubled. I recall them as a child/young teen when new in my home area of Northern NJ, not far from NY City and saw a few around my area on the road.
I wish you had used a better picture of Pres. Lyndon Johnson than the one of the moment he took the oath of office as President (he was the Vice-President) after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. I was aware of the stories of his Amphicar. I was also aware of some of the other attempts for amphibious boat-cars but indeed like with flying cars, they are terrible compromises that don't work well for either function.
Agreed, tasteless photo choice. Or perhaps Ed doesn't like LBJ.
I don't think Ed intended to be 'tasteless', it is one of the best known photos of him, likely it just something didn't know the backstory of it. (I am born and always lived in the USA all my 68 years so 9 years old when the assassination and the sensitivity of it. He did see the car that JFK was assassinated in and noted it in his video when he visited the Ford Museum last year. @@fredsilva7274
I wangled a ride in an Amphicar once. Saw the thing going the other way, realized they were headed to the river, and turned around and gave chase. Gloriously, I arrived at the boat ramp in time to watch the onlooker's faces when he drove down the ramp. When he returned, I offered my appreciation of the opportunity to witness such a rare event, upon which he offered me a spin. I accepted with alacrity. Funny thing is, I still can't remember what color it was.
You can actually book a short trip on an Amphicar at Disney Springs at Walt Disney World. I hear it is very expensive, but it includes a skipper and time around the lake they have there. For the really "adventurous" tourist!
This was another interesting episode. At 4:30, when Hans Trippel was subscribing to this channel in the 1950's, he might have been subscriber #1 - bravo to him.
my great great grandfahter subscribert him since 1893
Great Doku with some good laughs. I missed the James Bond Lotus, or was that a fake?
I rode in the back seat when my father test drove one of these in 1961. The dealer didn't let him swim it.
I can buy a new boat and a new car for less than the price of a new amphibious vehicle...
It wasn’t a category that I was curious enough to look into… but the video was absolutely interesting. Thanks.
James Bond had a Lotus submarine, I think ;--)
The very successful DUKW too big to be classed as a car?
Ed, Love your humor, your delivery, and your excellent writing!
I love it, when you say "Schwimmwagen" 🤭
a guy in a nearby town where i grew up
had an amphicar. weird looking thing
Folks that live in a floodplain should be interested in these.
You made this video for that final line, didn't you?
Hello Ed, thanks for sharing another interesting & informative video!!! 👍👍🙂
Not even a clip of James Bonds Lotus....
Well done Ed, from someone who has 3 Amphicars. They are neither a great car or boat, but they are a fantastic novelty that never fails to create smiles and lasting memories.
Great vid, really enjoyed!!!! 👍👍
Missed out the Dutton. Several versions have been/are made.
I love your videos. Have you ever considered making a long format documentary style video?
How did you miss the Bertone Autobianchi runabout concept car 12:48 12:48 which led to the Fiat x 1/9 who’s roll bar is actually called a sail
th-cam.com/video/HMibbrFCn_0/w-d-xo.html
A beetle boat? Why not a water bug or a water beetle?
Still love those Buick boat tails. :)
my dad owned one when I was a kid crazy car great ride thanks
I saw one of these at a car meet and my dad said his friend had more than 10 of them in the 1980s
Beetleboat, Beetleboat, Beetleboat
It’s the boat with the most babe.
These cars are for men who've been embarrassed too many times at backing their motorboats into the lake/lagoon/river/ocean at concrete boat ramps and failing at it and don't want their manhood to be questioned ever again.
Interestingly enough, Wheeler Dealers restored one of those Amphicars!
I remember that episode! It broke down in the water and Mike and Ed had to be rescued. According to the DVLA that particular one was SORN less than a year after the programme was made.
We have a tourist-focused city in the state of Wisconsin that has a few competing businesses with "duck boats" as a mobile tourist attraction! What a fun episode :)
Ah, the Dells. The last time I rode the ducks was about 30 years ago already. Time flies...seems more like 5 years to me.
I took a DUKW ride as a kid back in the 70s. It was a ton of fun!
Brick Immortar has chronicled the various mishaps and deaths involving the Ride the Ducks vehicles.
@@MajorT0m It is a great series. It also reinforced my distrust of tourist/entertainment industry equipment.
I'll never ride a DUKW or carnival ride again, I've seen and read too much.
Oh no not the ducks
Another great episode. Keep them coming!
I feel like this channel probably ought to be called 'Ed's Auto History' since there aren't many car reviews. Nevertheless, a channel I greatly enjoy.
His review videos are great, but I have to admit, I prefer his history videos over the reviews.
Pontiac front ends where a beak nothing to do with a boat
Seahorses - too funny!
Entertaining as always...
And there is no anphibious motorcycles?
Ain't that ironic, I was watching other videos about the amphicar until you uploaded this so thanks Ed!
The TH-cam algorithm is watching you 😳
@@gixermouse good, let it continue showing me good stuff
This better have Dutton cars - they are still made today and I've heard they're pretty good. They don't rust, at any rate.
I want a "Reef" - it's based on Ford Fiesta running gear and seems reasonably priced.
I can't believe you brought up nautical styling and didn't mention the Chrysler Sebring. They even put grooves in the hood to make it look like boat decking.
In Poland we have one famous movie about a person driving a Shwimmwagen. It's called Pan Samochodzik [Mr. Car] and Polish actor Stanisław Mikulski is searching for a treasure in Malbork castle. He has that swimming car and that's where his nick came from.
I saw two today in Amsterdam. A white one and a sky blue one. Perfect condition! Very fun!
This is my dream car
At Disney World in Orlando you can rent a vintage Amphicar for a 20-Minute Guided Tour on Lake Buena Vista. A Disney employee drives it.
How could you make mention of so many amphibious vehicles and manage to avoid the GMC DUKW (Duck) of World War II ? While you are correct that the Ford GPA (Seep) was not a particularly successful vehicle, the GMC DUKW was very successful in its amphibious role. Many of these WWII vehicles still survive in active use today as river and lake tour vehicles. Also worthy of mention are the Studebaker M29 and M29C (Weasel) cargo carriers. Though less like a car (due to its tracked suspension), the Weasel could travel successfully on land and across snow and water. Note the wide use of this vehicle by Patton's 3rd Army in Europe for just this reason.
Our tiny Canadian city (Kimberley BC) had TWO Amphicars. I got to ride in one; so did an elderly Cambodian refugee of illiterate + impoverished + brutalized background. Beyond imagining for her!
I got to ride in a Amphicar. It was an attraction at the 1964 New York Worlds Fair. I remember reassuring myself that I was a strong swimmer.
Oh man, did you ever screw up when you totally FAILED to mention the Squidbillies TRUCK-BOAT-TRUCK!
Thank you, Ed for showing the silhouette of the BMW E21 @0:48 as the example of the combination of car and boat. And for any 2002 owners out there, get bent!!
👋from Canada
Worth to mention: the RMA Amphi-Ranger 2800 SR, 70 units produced and the Sea Ranger designed by Colani. I have one as RC car.
I remember these Anphicars from my childhood. We saw those surprisingly often. As far as I can recall...
With fewer than 4000 made globally, that seems unlikely.
@@BatCaveOz, I'm happy to realize that you obviously know my childhood better than I do. Maybe I should ask you some questions about things I don't exactly recall but know happened?
@@persjofors2586 --- I'm in southern Wisconsin, and I saw plenty of them as I was growing up in the 60's and 70's. Over time, there were less and less but I still spot about one every year someplace. I don't think there are less of them, it's just that they're packed away in rich people's garages as trophies. I wish I had bought one when they were cheap. I can remember when you could get a nice one for 10K, but that was still a substantial amount back in the 80's or so.
The houseboat towing capabilities of the Amphicar made it to a 1966 Caravnning Newsreel :
th-cam.com/video/TINnkgnJu28/w-d-xo.html
Or perhaps lack of capability. Both examples seem to be listing to the driver side to me.
Love your channel so much ❣️
Big love from Berlin 🇩🇪 to the Netherlands,
Ramsi 🙋🏻♂️ 😘
Any information about Dongfeng and Nissan's Venucia ?? Your show is informative and fun, thanks. Montréal Canada.