Splash! Amazing Survivor 1964 Amphicar 770
Jeff recently wrote about a cool little Amphicar which you can read about here. Well, here’s another “Fjord Green” Amphicar and ain’t she a beauty? Well, no, how could an Amphicar be beautiful? It’s called the model “770” because it will do 7 MPH in the water and 70 MPH on land. This one is listed on eBay in Millersport, Ohio and has a BIN of $48,000. Bidding is currently over $30,000 with the reserve still unmet. It looks as close to new as any 50-year-old car can. There is a ding in the front bumper and a little tear in the top so it’s not perfect. It is completely original, though, except for tires and shocks. For once, I think the 3,784 miles showing on the odometer are correct. Can you imagine anyone driving this thing over 1000,000 miles? The Amphicar is not great on land or water, so perhaps that accounts for its little use and great condition? It even still has the original dealer and boat registration stickers!
VW owners should feel right at home here, talk about utilitarian. The upholstery is a little loose but otherwise looks perfect. This would be a fun place to be during parades and causal drives around town.
These props don’t look like they’ve ever been in the water. Someone did find something to drag the bottom over, though.
Here’s the little 43 horsepower 69 CID engine. It should look familiar to anyone who’s looked under the hood of a Triumph Herald or Spitfire. As a result, engine parts are easy to find and there are even some upgrade options out there to give it a little more oomph.
They built less than 4,000 of these Amphicars before the company folded, far short of the 20,000 a year they were hoping to sell. They are built of mild steel and rust away like a typical German car of the era. Most unrestored Amphicars need extensive rust repair and restoration. You may remember an episode of “Wheeler Dealer” where they bought one for $35,000 that was really rusty and needed a great deal of repair. They sold the Amphicar for a slight profit, but they don’t include labor in the cost of repairs of course. There have been a number of amphibious cars built for civilian use, including the Aquada, the Rinspeed Splash, and the SeaRoader. None made it into regular production, although SeaRoader builds an occasional amphibious custom vehicle. These Amphicars are not at all practical. They rust quickly even in fresh water and require a lot of maintenance, even for a boat. For example, after each use in water, they must be greased in several places, including under the back seat. Still, there are people who love these and are willing to pay silly money for them. Hagerty, for example, values an Amphicar in excellent condition at $68,600 and one in Concours condition at $87,800. Perhaps the $48,500 BIN is not so far off. We can all imagine amazing cars that can be bought for that kind of money. I think most of us will settle instead for a car that requires an insurance claim of it goes into the water.
Auctions Ending Soon
1971 Ford Mustang Mach 1Bid Now19 hours$7,100
2003 Porsche Boxster SBid Now20 hours$6,000
1966 Lincoln ContinentalBid Now22 hours$500
2000 Jaguar XJ8LBid Now4 days$1,250
1977 Datsun 280ZBid Now5 days$275
Comments
Very nice.
I love the floating key fob, It might have saved the one from drowning from the other day. Ended: Apr 17, 2018 , 10:11AM
Sold for:US $48,500.00
[ 9 bids ]
It might not be the most practical car, and it might not last long, but it sure would be fun.
These are the most fun car I’ve ever owned. Met countless good people and friends because of mine. Once you have one, life isn’t the same again.
Congrats John! It has to be a blast! Oh. Love the flag! What is the device on the hood?
I believe it’s the horn.
Jack,There are only enough lifeboats for half the passengers………..
I have always loved these but I think I’d rather acquire a DUKW
All or nothing, that’s what I say!
Wow! This is the nicest one I’ve seen. To be fair, I’m not an expert on these. But this one looks incredible. Based on the Hagerty pricing, I would say someone got a good deal. Great color, paint and interior look to be in great condition.
I love the original dealer sticker on the back – sold by a sporting goods store. I also like the Dymo labels on some of the controls.
I bet this thing is a LOT of fun.
– John
Kudos to you John for using yours, I’ll bet most owners are afraid to put them in the water.
https://barnfinds.com/1964-amphicar-project-in-uganda/
Check out the one in Uganda Josh wrote up last year!
Glad you folks liked this one. The most practical Amphibians these days seems to be the converted schoolbuses used on tours, So if you want to take a lotta friends…
There’s one nearby that plunges into a local lake.
It literally stops traffic when it’s in the water, you have to look at it.
I like the Imodium green color of this one. :)
desirable
Do the props turn while you’re cruising down the highway?
I rode in one as a child while my folks looked at lake property. LBJ owned one and he used to take people out who had never seen one and drive off in to the water like his brakes went out and scare the heck out of them.
@Francisco NO the props do not turn when highway driving, I think there is a separate control for them.
Man, a lot of coin, but cool indeed. Ended: Apr 17, 2018 , 10:11AM
Sold for:US $48,500.00
[ 9 bids ]
Oh, oh, my feet are getting wet,,,,, don’t worry, our Lucas electric’s will get us home,,,,thanks to this vehicle, it’s why car/boats never took caught on.
it’s why car/boats never caught on.
Fastest boat on the highway, fastest car on the water.
Respectfully, I disagree with your unfortunate assessment of these amazing cars. Most of the information that you included are primarily wives tales.
I have owned an Amphicar for over twenty years, and it has been incredibly reliable, fun and has required very little maintenance.
They do not have to be greased after every water entry, and they do not rust excessively. The reason that MANY of these cars are badly rusted is that they are now over fifty years old and they often were not properly cared for when they were just used cars and not valuable. They were abused and put away wet without taking proper precautions to remove the excess moisture at the end of the season, or they were allowed to sit outside in the weather for years with the drain plug in so that any water entry through side windows or poor hood or bonnet seals was allowed to sit in the hull for years or decades.
They ARE prone to rust in areas like the lower portions of the rear quarter panels, because the change in temperature when entering the water causes condensation in this area which becomes trapped and cannot escape. This single area can require rust repair or replacement, but this is usually limited to a repair every five or ten years, and not more frequently than that. Even then, this is only necessry if you are using the Amphicar in water on a regular basis. They were made with incredibly heavy and thick guage steel and they are remarkably resistant to rust from other reasons.
They handle quite nicely on the road for a car that is also a boat. Sure, they are not a sports car or incredibly fast, but certainly more than adequate with a nice firm but compliant ride, and reasonable acceleration and performance. They are very comfortable and with the top down, they are a very nice car to drive.
In the water, they are somewhat slow because of the weight and hull design, but are still reasonably fast and remarkable for a boat that is also a car. It always amazes me how right the company got these, especially if you look at amphibious cars that have been made many decades later like the Duttton Mariner. The Amphicar is much more solid, fast, civilized and finished, and actually perfroms exponentially better than many of those later designs.
You really should drive one before spreading these inaccurate rumors about the marque.
Come on up for a visit and I’ll let you drive mine into the lake! You will be immediately hooked and will want one for yourself, and you will be pleasantly surprised with the ride and performance on the road and in the water.
This Amphicar owner seconds these comments!
Actually, my 1962 Amphicar is now due for its very first rear lower edge quarter panel rust repair after only 56 years!