Rare vintage car for road and water

What is this? It looks like a bumper car, has strangely high legs and two propellers at the rear. Of course, an amphicar. The German Hanns Trippel developed the Schwimmwagen, and the amphibious vehicle was built in Lübeck and Berlin. The combination of boat and convertible is rare and expensive. The body consists of a tub with 1.5 millimeter thick sheet metal and had to pass a leak test while still in the factory. For the trip into the water, the doors are locked with a handle, and a bilge pump ensures that the engine compartment does not fill up.

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What is this? It looks like a bumper car, has strangely high legs and two propellers at the rear. Of course, an amphicar. The German Hanns Trippel developed the Schwimmwagen, and the amphibious vehicle was built in Lübeck and Berlin. The combination of boat and convertible is rare and expensive.

The body consists of a tub with 1.5 millimeter thick sheet metal and had to pass a leak test while still in the factory. For the trip into the water, the doors are locked with a handle, and a bilge pump ensures that the engine compartment does not fill up.

In the rear is a 1.15-liter four-cylinder engine from Triumph, which drives the rear wheels or the propellers via a special transmission. The engine produces 38 hp. On the road, the Amphicar travels at 125 km/h, while in the water it reaches 8 knots, which is 12.8 km/h.

To sail in German waters, the holder of a sport boat license must be on board. There is a position light and a horn on the front hood, a white position light and a flag are hoisted with a mast on the rear hood. The float is intended for fresh water, but it is also seaworthy: in 1962, two Amphicars are said to have swum the English Channel. The trip lasted – depending on the source – between five and seven hours.

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