The Aquada amphibious car was recently launched and exhibited
at London's
Royal Victoria Docks. Gibbs Technologies, the manufacturer, demonstrated its
High-Speed Amphibian (HSA) technology in the form of a compact convertible sports car.
The aluminum frame and composite body is powered by a 175hp V6 gasoline engine that
propels it up to 100 mph on the road. Unlike the Amphicar from the sixties, it is also
relatively fast on the water. If you are bored with your current car,
think of the fun you'll have driving straight into the water and powering
up on a plane to 30 mph
The initial production quantity for the Aquada (aka the 'Bond' series) will number
100 vehicles that will retail at around $240,000 US, so get your order in soon if you want to drive
something out of the ordinary.
Gibbs managing director, Neil Jenkins, stated that other HSA applications
are being pursued by the company, including a concept more suited to military
applications.
Equipped with an automatic transmission, the Aquada can simply drive
down a launch ramp and engage its water propulsion system at the touch of
a button. There are no doors, you have to jump into it from the side, just
as you would do with a boat.
On the other side of the world from the London launch of the Aquada, the
New Zealand inventor, Terry Roycroft, is
delighting at the realization of his 15-year-old dream. In the 1990s
Mr Roycroft sold the critical intellectual
property that is key to Aquada's success to Mr. Gibbs of Gibbs Technologies.
Now he's busy working on other inventions at his workshop on Manukau Heads.
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