IT may sound like something from science fiction, but one of the Lakeland Motor Museum’s most unusual exhibits is an amphibious car built to ‘swim’ through water.
CAR: A picture of the Amphicar at the museum
The Amphicar is one of the most unconventional cars ever produced and was marketed as the “sports car that swims”.
A small flotilla made it safely across the English Channel in the 1960s and one was even driven by the former owner of Belle Isle – the largest of Windermere’s 18 islands – making it a regular sight gliding across England’s largest natural lake.
The 1966 Amphicar displayed at the Lakeland Motor Museum had a potential top speed of almost 70mph on land and the four-seater convertible could be converted to a seaworthy boat with the flick of a lever.
It could then reach 10 knots on water, aided by twin propellers and using the front wheels as a rudder.
CLASSIC: Amphicar pictured with Chairman Bill Bewley
The vehicle was created by the German engineer Hans Trippel, who aimed to bring so-called car-boats to the masses with an amphibious equivalent of Volkswagen Beetle. In the end, there was a lack of demand and fewer than 4,000 were ever made.
Bill Bewley, chairman of the Lakeland Motor Museum, says: “The Amphicar is the only amphibious mass-produced passenger car ever made and at the time it was revolutionary.
“However, it didn’t sell as well as the German manufacturer originally hoped and, today, examples like the one we have at the museum are highly prized.”
CLOSE: A picture of Vespa
He added: “There are plenty of anecdotes from local people who used to see one of these unusual vehicles either driving around the Lake District or most memorably, easing through the waters of Windermere.
“It is hard to believe that our Amphicar is now 55 years old – it certainly was ahead of its time."
The Amphicar is just one exhibit in an ever-changing collection of 30,000 items at one of the North’s leading heritage attractions, all carefully assembled over six decades.
You can see it all first-hand by booking a visit to the Lakeland Motor Museum for later this Spring and Summer. Online tickets are currently available from May 17 to August 31 at www.lakelandmotormuseum.co.uk.
VINTAGE: Vespa with Museum Chairman Bill Bewley
Lakeland Motor Museum is urging all customers to book their visit in advance as entry times are being staggered at 15-minute intervals to ensure social distancing can be respected.
These classic vehicles can be viewed at the museum and following the lifting of the lockdown restrictions visitors will be permitted to return to the museum in larger groups.
Further updates can be found on the museum's website.
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