WaterCar Panther. Image: Kmr1985 - Own work, via Wikimedia Commons, CC 4.0
WaterCar Panther. Image: Kmr1985 - Own work, via Wikimedia Commons, CC 4.0
Cars that can be driven on both land and water have to be one of the most fun inventions ever.
Although if we’re being honest, it’s not every day you need to cross the English Channel in your car.
So we’ve added a couple of cars to this list that can navigate floodwater with ease – a feature that anyone who’s been stranded in a car without a paddle will appreciate.
Image: JoachimKohlerBremen via Wikimedia Commons CC 4.0
Earlier this week, Elon Musk announced that the all-electric Tesla Model S could be driven like a boat through water. Honestly.
While he ‘def wouldn’t recommend it’, Musk said that the Model S can be driven as a boat ‘for short periods of time’.
After a video appeared online of a driver steering the Model S through a flooded tunnel with ease in Kazakhstan, overtaking stranded, sinking vehicles like a boss, Musk confirmed the car’s semi-amphibious ability on Twitter.
According to Musk, the wheel rotation can propel the car through a body of water without damaging the drive units or battery (which are sealed).
As if the most desirable car of 2016 could get any better. What’s next?
Image: Kmr1985 - Own work, via Wikimedia Commons, CC 4.0
Created in 2013 by WaterCar, a California-based car company, the Panther is officially the world’s fastest amphibious car.
It may look as bulky as a Jeep Wrangler, but the Panther is actually quite lightweight. Coming in at less than 3000 lbs, it can reach 80+ mph on land and an impressive 44 mph in the water.
The SUV design also means that the Panther has some off-road ability, benefitting from the suspension system primarily designed to aid the car’s transition in and out of the water.
The car comes equipped with a 3.6-litre V6 Honda engine and, if WaterCar’s promo video is anything to go by, a magnet-like ability to attract hoards of bikini-clad women.
The ‘Complete Custom’ version will set you back $155,000 – which explains why it has attracted orders from the super-rich elite, from the Crown Prince of Dubai to Silicon Valley billionaires.
The Gibbs Aquada made the headlines in 2004 when Virgin Group founder Sir Richard Branson set the world record for the fastest crossing of the English Channel by an amphibious vehicle.
Branson beat the standing record of six hours by over four, completing the journey in just one hour, 40 minutes and six seconds.
The Aquada was manufactured in Nuneaton, and could reach speeds of over 100 mph on land and 30 mph on water.
The car’s wheels could retract in just ten seconds, allowing the car to switch to boat mode with ease.
While the Rinspeed Splash failed in its attempt to beat Branson’s world record, the Splash is still pretty impressive and offers something a little different.
Instead of displacing the water like a boat, as most amphibious vehicles do, the Splash uses hydrofoil technology to glide 60 cm above the water on extendable wings.
Capable of 45 knots on water and 124 mph on land, the Rinspeed Splash doubles up as a lively sports car. Powered by a turbocharged natural gas engine, the Splash delivers peak power of 140 bhp at 7000 rpm and peak torque of 150Nm at 35000 rpm.
Although the FOMM Concept One hasn’t yet made it to production, we love the idea behind it.
FOMM’s Concept One is a semi-amphibious all-electric vehicle that has been designed specifically with the Southeast Asian market in mind.
The idea behind the concept is that the car’s ability to float on water could save lives in areas prone to flooding.
The Concept One has a dual-layer body, with a plastic resin inner layer that allows the car to float.
The car is powered by lithium ion batteries, and has a range of 100 km.
