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N0KFQ > TODAY 17.09.15 18:44l 58 Lines 2528 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
BID : 67430_N0KFQ
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Subj: Today in History - Sep 17
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Sent: 150917/1409Z 67430@N0KFQ.#SWMO.MO.USA.NA BPQ1.4.64
1965
Amphibious cars arrive in Frankfurt after sailing across the
English Channel
On September 17, 1965, four adventurous Englishmen arrive at the
Frankfurt Motor Show in Germany after crossing the English
Channel by Amphicar, the world's only mass-produced amphibious
passenger car. Despite choppy waters, stiff winds, and one
flooded engine, the two vehicles made it across the water in
about seven hours.
The Amphicar's design, by the German engineer Hans Trippel,
derived from the Schwimmwagen, the amphibious all-wheel-drive
vehicle that Volkswagen had produced for the German armed forces
during World War II. A company called the Quandt Group produced
the Amphicars for seven years, from 1961 to1968; in all, they
built about 3,900 of the little swimming convertibles.
Amphicars came in four colors-Beach White, Regatta Red, Lagoon
Blue, and Fjord Green-and were powered from the rear by a
43-horsepower, four-cylinder Triumph Herald engine. On land, the
cars used a four-speed-plus-reverse manual transmission. In the
water, they used a transfer case that had two speeds: forward and
backward. With the top and windows up, the Amphicar was
remarkably seaworthy: Its front wheels acted as rudders and two
nylon propellers chugged along in back. The car's builders called
it the "770," because-in theory, at least-it could go 7 mph in
the water and 70 mph on land. To see an Amphicar hit either one
of these speeds was rare, however: According to one owner, it was
"the fastest car on the water and the fastest boat on the road."
The four Englishmen left London on the morning of September 16,
rolled down the ramp at Dover, and headed for France. About
halfway across the Channel, a blocked bilge pump flooded one of
the Amphicars; the other towed it the rest of the way to shore.
When they arrived at Calais, the four travelers (with the help of
the crowd that had gathered to see them) managed to drag the cars
over the beach and to the gas station. The next day, they headed
off to Frankfurt.
About 3,000 Amphicars were imported into the United States. In
fact, Quandt sold such a large proportion of the cars to
Americans that in 1968, when the Motor Vehicle Air Pollution Act
raised emissions standards to a level that the Amphicar couldn't
meet, the company just stopped building the cars altogether.
Amphicar enthusiasts estimate that between 300 and 600 seaworthy
vehicles remain on the road today.
73, K.O. n0kfq
N0KFQ @ N0KFQ.#SWMO.MO.USA.NA
E-mail: kohiggs@gmail.com
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