WOULD you drive your car into the ocean? Say hello to the 'Amphicar' - an amphibious vehicle that can be driven into the body of any water. In the 1960s, West German designer Hans Trippel presented the 'Amphicar' in New York. Only 3,878 units were ever built by manufacturer Quandt Group between 1960 and 1965. But Kerry Cheese, who restores military vehicles for a living, bought one of these rare cars from Canada and spent over $40,000 to bring it back to its original state. Kerry said: “It didn’t really need too much work; it needed more mechanical work than body work." With a modest 38 horsepower from a 1,147 Triumph engine, its speed is certainly not its strong point: “You’ve got to remember to take everything just a bit slower,” explained Kerry. But Kerry was never aiming for speed - it's the freedom of being able to cruise on both roads and water that always stood out to the proud owner. He added: "The fun part comes when you come to the water, drive in, and then off you go down the river. It's one of the best feelings you can ever have."
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MotorTranscript
00:00It's a car that you drive down the road. The fun part comes when you come to the water,
00:08drive in and then off you go down the river. It's one of the best feelings you could ever
00:13have.
00:22Kent in England is home to a car that's as happy on the water as it is on the road.
00:28I'm Kerry Cheese and this is my 1964 Amphicar. I found the vehicle in Canada on Ebay. It
00:35was up for silly money. I contacted the seller. We just got talking on the phone and he accepted
00:40my offer. I restore military vehicles for a living. I have restored a couple of Amphicars
00:47anyway so I had a fairly sound knowledge of what I was doing. When I received the Amphicar
00:52it didn't really need too much work. It needed more mechanical than body work. It took me
00:57about three to four months getting it all ready for a boat safety scheme. Basically
01:01a boat MOT for the river. And getting extra bilge pumps and making sure things were safe
01:07and it was water tight. Probably cost start to finish around 32 to 35 thousand which was
01:19a reasonable price for one of these vehicles.
01:25Less than 4,000 Amphicars were built in West Germany in the 60s. Five feet high, 14 feet
01:31long and weighing 2,315 pounds. This vehicle is powered by a Triumph engine.
01:37It is an everyday car on the road. From inside you wouldn't even know you were in a boat.
01:44It is very comfortable. It's quite easy to drive. You've got to remember everything just
01:49take a bit slower. You're not rushing through the gears. I have had it to 70 but cruising
01:5465 is usually ok. The brakes are only as good as the effort you put into them. You're
02:00back in the 60s with their technology.
02:08Basically it's a car that you drive down the road. The fun part comes when you come to
02:12the water, drive in, engage the prop shaft at the back and then off you go down the river.
02:21There's a second lock on the doors and it just pulls them up otherwise the water comes
02:25pouring in. I've forgotten it once. The water does come in but luckily it wasn't too fast.
02:33There's only one thing left for it now. Let's take it in the water.
02:52It's easy, relaxing. It's one of the best feelings you could ever have.
03:07With a top speed of 8mph on the water it won't break any speed records but it does turn a
03:13few heads.
03:14The people in boats all wave to you. They all smile. Everyone takes photos. Everyone
03:19seems to recognise that it's a car and can't believe what they're seeing.
03:23The one thing you do have to remember is that you can't use your brake pedal on water. It
03:27operates the lights and stops the wheels spinning in the water but that's all it'll do.
03:33It's great. It just makes a great day out.