Amphibian Cars

At the dawn of the automotive industry, the pioneers of the industry were considering the possibility of creating a car that can effectively move both on land and on water. Moreover, many companies have produced successful prototypes that can function in both environments. The idea was picked up by the movie, although in many cases what we see on the big screen in the films about the super-agents like James Bond is nothing more than a figment of imagination.

The first real amphibians were created for military purposes. Already during the landing in Normandy, the American army used the so-called DUKW, a hybrid of a boat and a truck, to deliver soldiers to the shore and provide material support for the Allied forces in World War II. This model was also successfully used during the landing on the Pacific coast and the operation of the Torch, which included the landing of allied forces in northern Africa.

Speaking of civilian amphibians, we should mention the BMW and Mercedes Amphicar built in 1960 in Germany, resembling Triumph Heraid in appearance and claiming the title of the first utilitarian amphibious car in history. Among the many other problems of this vehicle, mention should be made of the extreme instability to rust and the fact that the transition from the aquatic environment to hard ground was almost always accompanied by breakdowns and other problems.

In total, 4,500 of these cars were built, but less than a thousand were sold. Thus, this experience was completely disastrous.
In 2005, London-based millionaire and New Zealand investor Alan Gibbs introduced the amphibian Gibbs Aquada to the general public. This model has two strengths: firstly, the features of its design allow it to develop on the water speed equal to the speed of the motor boat, and secondly, it is fully ready for mass production. This triple cabriolet is equipped with a 175-horsepower engine, which accelerates the amphibian to 160 km / h on land. When immersed in water, it is enough to press the button so that the car retracts the wheels and turns into a boat capable of moving around the water at a respectable speed of 48 km / h.

Engineers spent more than a million hours and seven years to implement this project, costing the creators of 14.5 million euros. Initially, it was planned to release a series of 100 cars and sell them to those who would be willing to pay for them more than 220 thousand euros. These lucky ones, in particular, include the famous businessman Richard Branson. He had big plans for the first Gibbs Aquada, and so he became one of his godfathers at the presentation in the waters of the Thames. Branson became the first buyer of the amphibian and crossed the Channel on it, setting a new record for cars self-crossing the canal.

In addition to the already mentioned English model, the Swiss Splash from the company Rinspeed came closest to the ideal of the amphibious car. This company, headed by Frank Rinderknecht, came up with a machine that does not turn into a boat, but into an air wing boat, capable of planning at a height of 60 centimeters above the surface of the water, which provides better performance than Gibbs. If the latter develops 160 km / h on land and 48 km / h on the water, then Splash plans over water at a speed of 80 km / h and rides on the asphalt at a speed of up to 200 km / h.

The device, which allows Splash to turn from a car into a hydrofoil boat, is quite simple in its concept. Once in the water, the driver presses the button, which turns the wing 180 degrees, turning it into a rear submarine wing, and lets out two V-shaped structures out of the sidewalls that act as submarine wings. In parallel with this, a propeller providing the movement of the car and its control is produced behind it.

The body is made of their carbon fiber, thanks to which the weight of the car is only 825 kg. Accordingly, a two-cylinder engine with a capacity of 750 cubic cm and a power of 140 hp. It is enough to provide acceleration from 0 to 100 km / h in just 5.9 seconds. These dry figures will seem even more surprising if you take into account that the car performs the strictest environmental standards in Switzerland and can operate on natural gas. The environmental benefits of this engine are obvious and do not detract from Splash's merits.
It is also important to note that Splash can work with folded hydrodynamic elements like a conventional amphibian car, developing in this configuration a speed of up to 50 km / h (about 28 knots), which allows using it for water sports, in particular water skis.