1967 Amphicar CV770

Where to start when describing an Amphicar?! It's seldom written that a Silverstone Auctions Lot drives and swims well, however, the Amphicar Model 770 is an amphibious automobile, launched at the 1961 New York Auto Show, manufactured in West Germany and marketed in the United States from 1961-1967, with production ending in 1965.

Designed by Hanns Trippel, the amphibious vehicle was manufactured by the Quandt Group at Lübeck and at Berlin-Borsigwalde, with a total of 3,878 manufactured in a single generation. A descendant of the Volkswagen Schwimmwagen, the Amphicar offered only modest performance compared to most contemporary boats or cars, but did feature navigation lights and flag as mandated by the Coast Guard.

The Amphicar's engine was mounted at the rear of the craft, driving the rear wheels through a 4-speed manual transmission. For use in the water, the same engine drove a pair of reversible propellers at the rear, with a different gear lever engaging forward or reverse drive. Once in the water, the main gear lever would normally be left in neutral, however by engaging first gear as well as drive to the propellers when approaching a boat ramp, the Amphicar could drive itself out of the water.

The power-plant was the 1147cc engine from the British Triumph Herald 1200. Many engines were tried in prototypes but the Triumph engine was "state of the art' in 1961 and had the necessary combination of performance, weight, cool running and reliability, and had a power output of 43 bhp at 4750 rpm, slightly more than the Triumph Herald due to a shorter exhaust. Designated the Model CV770, the Amphicar could achieve speeds of 7 knots in the water and 70 mph (110 km/h) on land.

Presented here is a 1967 model which is perhaps one of the best preserved and capable Amphicars still available - it is certainly one of the most famous. It was the 'star car' in an episode of the very popular and well-regarded "Wheeler Dealers' series, a British TV show that documents the purchase and restoration of interesting classic cars (please follow link http://www.velocity.com/tv-shows/wheeler-dealers/videos/meet-the-amphicar/ for the episode).

Mike Brewer, who sources and buys the cars featured in the show, purchased the car from Florida before bringing in back to the show's UK workshop. Edd China, the show's resident mechanic, set about fully prepping the body before reinstating some corroded panels and spraying the car in its original shade of red. He utilised some old after-market parts, replacing the all-important bilge pump and float switch, whilst noticing that by relocating it to the centre of the chassis, along with the outlet hole, this would make for more efficient draining. To make the car legal to operate in public waters, lots of components were used including marine-spec fuel lines with protective sheaths, an external fuel filler cap, a breather pipe with protective gauze and a modified original fuel tank. The fuel filler, take-off & shut-off valves were relocated/reinstated, plus the addition of an electric kill switch. An all-important fire extinguisher and some warning labels (to show where the various safety features are located) were fitted, plus a waterproof battery case. New marine boards were fitted in the front compartment to replace the non-standard carpets. Special wooden oars with the "Amphicar' font were custom-made. The show culminated in the car being taken to the River Thames. During the test drive, the car stalled and had to be towed back to land; it was revealed that the first motion shaft bearing has been shredded and was replaced by Edd in the workshop (not shown during the episode).

The car was consequently sold to a buyer from the Netherlands and exported in 2014. It remains in fantastic condition and fit for any collection or enthusiast. These cars are now very rare and have quite a following. An early Amphicar marketing program in the states used the slogan "Amphicar-Iamfuncar" and that is undoubtedly true.