Tuesday, October 23, 2012

History of amphibious cars

Unveiled commercially this week, Gibbs Sport Quadski may be the first vehicle available to consumers that is as fast across the water as it is on land, but it is by no means the first amphibious vehicle. We take a look at some of the most interesting and unusual aquatic cars.


The Swiss-designed Rinspeed Splash. — AFP pics
The Amphicar
 
The car that invented the market segment, the German-built Amphicar went on sale in 1961. Capable of 7 knots (over 12kph) on water and 112kph across land, it enjoyed modest popularity — it is estimated that 3,878 cars were sold before the company went under — but has become more of a cult collector’s item with each passing year.

Argocat Avenger 8x8

Launched in 1995, It might look like a toy but this 674cc 26-or-31 horespower vehicle can carry over 500kg and tow another 800kg at up to 35kph on land and, because it has permanent 16-wheel drive, it can handle the most challenging of terrain, water included. The combination of 16 permanently spinning ribbed tires with a hull made from polyethylene means that the Argocat not only floats but is capable of 4kph on water. There’s even a fitting for an optional outboard motor that will increase the speed to 16kph for those in more of a hurry.

Rinspeed Splash

This Swiss car design and modification company has been producing incredibly innovative and incredibly expensive cars since 1977. In 2004, it revealed the Splash. Built from carbon fibre composites, it was powered by a turbocharged compressed natural gas engine giving it a top speed of 200kph on land. When on water it could be driven as a ‘normal’ amphibious vehicle and achieve 50kph or 28 knots, or, with the touch of a button it could convert into a hydrofoil and achieve a top speed closer to 80kph (approx. 45 knots).

Gibbs Aquatic

Developed in 2003 by the same company that has just launched the Quadski, the Aquatic stood out because it was designed from the ground up to be both a boat and a car, rather than adapting an existing vehicle to do another vehicle’s job. Capable of a fast and responsive 26 knots on water, the Aquatic set a new world record when Virgin’s Richard Branson drove one across the channel in 1 hour and 40 minutes, beating the existing record by 4 hours and 20 minutes. Unfortunately it never went into production. Rover, the engine supplier went under, while US safety laws regarding features such as airbags made sure it never went on sale.

The hovercraft appears to be the perfect all-terrain vehicle, equally adept on land and sea.

Rinspeed sQuba
 
Flushed with the success of the Splash concept, in 2008 Rinspeed debuted the sQuba, a battery-powered sports car, inspired by James Bond and designed to look like a Lotus Elise that can be driven underwater to depths below 10 meters and could be driven without a driver — thanks to an ingenious laser scanning and tracking system — on the road.

Icelandic extreme 4x4s

Some companies invest millions trying to make a car work on land and at sea while others discover by accident that their heavily modified racing off-roaders can also drive across the water. The lightweight frames, coupled with heavy-duty ridged tires mean that Icelandic extreme 4x4s are equally adept on water, however, only when the wheels are spinning. If the engine stops, the car sinks.

Hovercraft

At first glance the hovercraft would appear to be the perfect all-terrain vehicle, equally adept on land and on sea and, while they are incredibly fast in a straight line, they are not renowned for their responsiveness or their ability to corner accurately at speed. Braking is also a problem. The vehicle will stop but the driver tends to continue on forward trajectory.  — AFP

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