Braking For Fish: The Story Of Amphibious Cars

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Leslie Kasperowicz holds a BA in Social Sciences from the University of Winnipeg. She spent several years as a Farmers Insurance CSR, gaining a solid understanding of insurance products including home, life, auto, and commercial and working directly with insurance customers to understand their needs. She has since used that knowledge in her more than ten years as a writer, largely in the insuranc... Full Bio →

Written by Leslie Kasperowicz Farmers CSR for 4 Years

Joel Ohman is the CEO of a private equity-backed digital media company. He is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™, author, angel investor, and serial entrepreneur who loves creating new things, whether books or businesses. He has also previously served as the founder and resident CFP® of a national insurance agency, Real Time Health Quotes. He also has an MBA from the University of South Florid... Full Bio →

Reviewed by Joel Ohman Founder, CFP®

UPDATED: Nov 15, 2020

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We’ve all dreamed of driving our very own “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang,” but that thought has always been a fantasy. How could cars really fly and drive through water?

As the video below shows, driving in water is possible (sorry, no flying cars yet).

http://www.youtube.com/embed/ZOt4VlmsBHc?rel=0,

The history of amphibious vehicles is an interesting one. Various sketches and proposals for amphibious vehicles, even including a horse-drawn carriage, date back to the 1700’s. During the tumultuous times of World War II, countries raced to create new technology to put them a step ahead of their enemies. One of the foremost technologies was the amphibious car.

Creative Commons License, Flickr, John Lloyd

Several different types of amphibious cars were built and tested during that time, mainly for military use. After the war ended, there was a lingering interest in bringing amphibious cars to the public. Thus, the Amphicar was born. After being introduced at the 1959 Geneva Salon by inventor Hans Trippel, the Amphicar became popular with inquisitive drivers and went into mass production.

The Amphicar, being the only non-military amphibious vehicle available at the time, sold surprisingly well for being such an oddity. Over 3,700 cars were produced and sold in the next eight years of production. Marketed in both Europe and North America, the manufacturers invested heavily in the car’s production, shipping the majority of their stock to North America. Over 3,000 cars were shipped to the US, with a retail price of $2,900 each.