The initial design for the Amphicar—a contraction of Amphibious and Car—came from German racer and engineer Hans Trippel, who in 1932 began work on an amphibious vehicle for Volkswagen, the Schwimmerwagen. After the war, Trippel adapted his Schwimmerwagen design into a production, leisure vehicle that would be built under the Amphicar name by Industrie-Werke Karlsruhe AG (IWK), a subsidiary of Deutschen Waggon und Maschinenfabriken GmbH (DWM), which had previously manufactured Luger pistols before the war.
Partially backed by the German government and built in West Berlin, the Amphicar made its initial debut at the 1959 German Motor Show, before debuting in the United States at the New York Auto Show on April 1, 1961. As the name implies, the Amphicar was designed to be both an automobile and a boat and could transition from one environment to the other without the need for stopping or preparation.
Built around a sturdy, watertight, steel monocoque “body/hull” the Amphicar utilized a rear-mounted 1147-cc Triumph Herald engine that drove through a bespoke land/sea gearbox that contained Porsche 356 internals. This gearbox enabled the Herald engine to drive the car through 4-speeds and reverse on land (via the rear wheels), or on water drive the Amphicar’s twin propellers either in forward or reverse. Steering on both land and sea was by the front wheels via worm and roller box, while much of the independent suspension and braking systems were sourced from Mercedes.
Built from 1962 to 1967, nearly 4,500 examples were produced, with the lion’s share (3,700) being imported into the U.S. While fun and unique, at $3800, the Amphicar was expensive for a car that lacked the practicality and performance of much less expensive contemporary offerings.
On the Road
The Amphicar is nothing if not distinctive. There is no mistaking it for any other car on the road—or on the water for that matter! Walking around it, there is a strange mingling of automotive and maritime cues—yes, it has four wheels and looks vaguely like a car, but it also has a distinctly boat-like front end, nautical running lights and, of course, twin propellers emanating from under the rear, where the exhaust pipes would normally be found.
Opening the driver-side door brings one back to the automotive world with a conventional bench seat located fairly close to a very basic black dashboard very reminiscent of those found in the Volkswagen Beetle.
Closing the door completely requires a strong arm, as there are two sets of weathersealing to maintain the Amphicar’s water-tightness, when afloat. Seated behind the large but minimalist, white, Bakelite steering wheel the driving position is both upright and close with the pedals mounted on the floorboard, which is raked at a steep angle to accommodate the “boat-like” front end. Turning the key generates a whirring sound from the back of the car, but the engine is so quiet (and so small) that it is difficult to tell right away whether it is on or not! A poke of the accelerator elicits an almost comical burble from the rear, suggesting that the little Triumph mill, is in fact cooking away.
Selecting first gear proves to be the first of many challenges posed by the gearbox. While the pattern is a standard 4-speed “H”, finding first gear proves to be a vague and uncomfortable exploration. Is it here? No. Here? Graaunch. Here? Try again. Eventually, first gear is located, so far and up to the right, that one would have thought it third. However, feeding in some gas and releasing the clutch allows the Amphicar to hesitantly pull away.
The first few minutes behind the wheel of the Amphicar requires more exploratory work to suss out where exactly the other three gears live. Once that is achieved, it’s possible to appreciate what the rest of the car is doing. Due to the fact that the Amphicar is very short-coupled and has a very high center of gravity, it has what can be termed “lively” handling characteristics. That is, it likes to weave and jump around a lot. When this is combined with a vague worm and sector steering system the result is a car that requires a lot of attention and steering input. The upside of the car’s short-coupled nature is that turn-in is quick to respond, but clearly this is not a car…err boat…that one buys for precision handling.
Likewise, if you’re looking for acceleration, the Amphicar is more Andrea Dorea than Ferrari. Contemporary reports clocked the Amphicar from 0-60 mph in a glacial 43-sec, which is somewhat understandable, as this 2200-lb boat is only propelled by a Lilliputian 1147-cc, inline 4-cylinder engine. Rounding out the Amphicar’s technical package are special waterproof 4-wheel drum brakes that are perhaps the car’s scariest feature. Initial test drive reports stated that the Amphicar required “Herculean leg strength” to stop and they weren’t being dramatic. While the Amphicar realistically only has a top speed of about 60 mph, you need some lead time if you want to haul it down from that speed to a dead stop. Panic sops live up to their name in this quirky little car.
So, with scary brakes, phlegmatic acceleration, vague and darty handling, what is the appeal of the Amphicar? Unlike any other car in the world, the Amphicar can be driven to any launch ramp, and without so much as a tap on the indolent brakes, can be driven straight into the water. Once there, all that is necessary is to engage the second shift lever on the floorboard and the Amphicar is quite happy to purr across any body of water at 10 mph and then directly drive right back up the ramp and home into the garage. This one feature is what makes the Amphicar immeasurably cool to the right owner.
Driven Classics at a Glance:
SPECIFICATIONS
1967 Amphicar Model 770
Production: 4,500 examples
Wheelbase: 82.67 inches
Length: 170.31 inches
Width: 60.31 inches
Front Track: 47.31 inches
Rear Track: 49.20 inches
Height : 59.84 inches
Freeboard: 21 inches
Weight: 2292 pounds
Suspension: 4-wheel independent with coil springs and telescopic shocks
Engine: 1147-cc Triumph OHV inline-4
Bore x Stroke: 2.718 inches x 2.992 inches
Compression Ratio: 8:1
Induction: Solex downdraft carburetor
Power: 43-hp @ 4750 rpm
Torque: 61-lb/ft @ 2250 rpm
Transmission: (land) synchromesh 4-speed (water) Forward/reverse
Brakes: 4-wheel hydraulic drum
PERFORMANCE
Top Speed: 70 mph (land), 8-10 knts (water)
0-60 mph: 43 seconds
Average fuel consumption: 35 mpg (land), 1.5 mpg (water)
VALUATION
Price at launch: $3,800
Excellent: $65,000
Good: $46,000
Average: $37,000
Poor: $25,000
