In a message dated 7/17/00 7:16:21 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
toyman@digitex.net writes:
<< I received a lead today on an Amphibia-Car. I vaguely recall one in my
town when I was 6 or 7 but know nothing of them beyond that. Who made
them, when were they made, have they any value, are parts out there to
be easily attained. Are there any websites that have information on
them. The story is, it stopped running and has been in a barn ever
since. I am not real serious about getting it, although, come to think
of it, it would make a great scuba diving vehicle <G>. But if it has any
value for a resale situation, I would possibly pull a Frank and see if
they will give it to me and I can eBay it with a reserve of half a
mil >>
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>From what I understand, Amphicars are going for big bucks if in really good
shape. The problem with them is that they are made of steel, and the
maufacturers found out that steel and water don't mix well.
I had a friend (Ray) who had one back in the '60s. He always said it was the
most troublesome car he ever owned, for little problems. The windscreen
wipers wouldn't work, but only when it was raining! They worked fine in the
dry. He took it to a shop to get them tested, and they worked fine for the
mechanic. Ray saw a bucket of water, dipped his fingers in the water, and
sprinkled it on the windscreen. The wipers promptly came to a stop!
Ray used to like to scare little old ladies by driving the car directly into
the Schuylkill River in Norristown, PA. He worked as a lighting technician
at a theater, and he gave me a picture of a very young Goldie Hawn floating
in the river on his Amphicar. She was a dancer in a show that was in town.
Long before she became famous.
Go look it over. If the rust isn't too bad and all the bits are there, it
could be a good investment.
Allen Hefner
SCCA Philly Region Rally Steward
'77 Midget
'92 Mitsubishi Expo LRV Sport
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