AMPHIBIOUS VEHICLES
Discover vehicles that can jump between land, water and air as a result of some innovative engineering
The dream of a fully functional amphibious vehicle dates back to the mid-1700s, when an Italian prince drove a modified land/water coach into the Tyrrhenian Sea. Since then, despite the peculiar universal desire to drive our cars into the nearest lake, only the Amphicar, a steel beauty with stylish tailfins, achieved anything close to commercial success, selling about 3,878 units in the 1960s.
Other ‘amphibians’ have had greater success – namely amphibious aircraft. That’s because a simple amphibious plane or helicopter can be made by adding sturdy floats to a pair of landing skids. But amphibious land and water vehicles face many more obstacles, because the engineering rules of the water are often in direct conflict with the rules of the land.