07 Mar 08
Gibbs Aquada
Gibbs Aquada
The first effective high-speed amphibian, the Aquada can behave like a speedboat on water - it'll do a good 30mph and power-slide - and while it's not quite a sports car on the road (despite its MX-5-like styling), it's capable of a decent 100mph-plus and reasonably adept cornering. You can launch it into the water at 20mph, too.
Combining a bonded-aluminium spaceframe chassis and fibreglass shell, the Aquada initially came with the 175bhp Rover K-Series 2.5 V6 (mid-mounted) and four-speed auto 'box, plus jet propulsion. A three-seater, it was suitably-specified with waterproof leather upholstery and carbon-fibre trim - and even a CD player - as you'd hope, with a £150,000 asking price.
Nuneaton-based Gibbs has subsequently reduced the price to a more reasonable £75,000, and has sold a few - Richard Branson has one, for a start. The company has since come up with the Humdinga, in essence an amphibious Hummer, and offers its services to develop and build one-off or specialist high-speed amphibians.
Rinspeed Splash
Rinspeed Splash
Before the sQuba came the Splash, which Swiss designer/prototype-builder/specialty vehicle builder/all-round wacky guy Franck M Rinderknecht presented at the 2004 Geneva Motor Show. An effective-looking concept, it featured a two-cylinder, 750cc natural gas-compatible Weber engine (140bhp/110lb-ft) and extendable hydrofoil wings - it didn't just swim (or, indeed, splash), it flew at about 60cm above the water.
Capable of a claimed 0-60mph in 5.9 seconds on land (it weighs just 850kg) the Splash was also said to be good for 45 knots (around 50mph) on water. It didn't quite reach such speeds when it completed its Channel crossing, but it did set a new speed record for hydrofoil cars by running Dover-Sangatte in 193 minutes, 47 seconds.
Rinderknecht said: 'We crossed the busiest waterway in the world as if on a surfboard,' adding 'We Swiss are not just good at making the tastiest chocolate, we can also build the fastest hydrofoil vehicle in the world - even though we're not exactly a sea-faring nation.' You gotta love the guy.
