Shipwrecked: 1967 Amphicar Project
Wow – for an Amphicar that was supposedly never submerged, this one looks like it found other ways to end up as a rusty hulk. The listing on eBay is short on details, other than stating that this Amphicar “…had a hard life,” quite possibly the understatement of the year. While these continue to enjoy a nice uptick in values and good ones sell for big money, I suspect this Amphicar is destined to be a parts vehicle for more worthy examples. Find it here on eBay with a $4,000 Buy-It-Now.
What’s amazing to me is that the seller seems confident this Amphicar was never in the water. I’m not sure why else you buy an Amphicar in the first place, so the story behind how this one came to be in such poor condition yet never took a jaunt on a lake is curious to me. Our Amphicar experts will have to weigh on what the parts value on something is this condition is like, as the “German-designed transmission” is still in place per the seller, and obviously a very rusty motor.
This is an Amphicar in a much happier time than our subject vehicle, which is located in Milner, Georgia, which is about 50 miles south of Atlanta, per the seller. The scene here is quite serene, with the Amphicar gently rolling up the dock after a quick swim. These cars will always have a following, and with the rate at which good ones are getting snapped up, I’m sure someone sees the potential for good spares on this one – but likely at a lower price than advertised.
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Comments
Of the 2 photos I’m happy he chose only the Good side…
I’ve been accused of starting off posts with a negative attitude, thereby setting the tone for future posts, so I’ve decided to turn a new leaf,,,
This is a wonderful example of a well engineered vehicle,,an easy restoration with a realistic price, well within anyones means,,,oh, heck, I can’t do it, another “YGTBK”.Looks like it was FILLED with water for 40 years. In all fairness, these have been a novelty long before the VW bus, or the 1st gen Ford Bronco. One bought these for the sheer novelty, and for someone to not know that, even 40 years ago, and let it get to this, is pretty sad. Most lackluster ebay ad yet. Drive type: 4 wheels, 2 props. There you have it.
Justified negativity. Anyone daring enough to test it’s main feature ? submarine anchor ?
My father, and his father, believed in “negative reinforcement”. “You’ll always be a screwup”, hoping you’d say, “Oh, yeah, I’ll show you”, and when you DID show them, they felt validated by that. We found, that tactic has horrible repercussions. What that has to do with wasted Amphicars, I’ll never know.
And if you didn’t show them, they were right, so they are validated either way.
Junk. It’d be flattery to even call it a parts car.
This ones for Wheeler Dealer.
They can fix it in the U.K. and sail it back here.
They tended to leak a bit around the sills. I do not think this could ever be made to not gush water the sides post repair because getting the panels in line would be impossible. A custom shop like Gotham Garage could probably be able to do but you could buy a Ferrari for less. It might be worth a couple hundred if you planed use was as a yard display at your beach house.
The trans on these are an expensive item if it can be salvaged.
junk
Yep, junk. Its back is broken. Parts only if there is anything to salvage.
To be fair the seller never says it’s never been in the water. He says it’s never been under the water. He’s wrong, but still.
If you could get it to float long enough, you could fill it with gas soaked wood, and use it for a Viking funeral. Just put the deceased in, give it a good tow to the bring deep , and set fire to her. Gone in a blaze of glory. This car should be free.
I get the $4,000 BIN, but can you please move that pile of scrap metal out of the way so I can see the actual car behind it that I “am” buying.
Looks like it was cargo on the Titanic.
I think the Titanic landed on it, on the bottom of the ocean.
Aren’t these things supposed to be driven on top of the lake and not the bottom of the lake🐴🚤⚓
I think you’d be under water with this project.
Easy fix; just attach 55 gallon drums to the flanks and sail away.
This is an excellent find.
I find it just needs a few things to be seaworthy
Nice patina.
Haha…The ultimate true patina. Just spray some matte clear to lock it in.
Titanic was rediscoverd. Uncover the reason it sank as you restore it. Go get it out of da wata bro. No, you sank it, yo go git it. I was in Tulsa retrevin’ da PlyMouth.
I would carefully (very carefully) graft the body on to a Bronco frame, add Super Swampers, and drop in an LS. Probably good for at least one jump. Actually, why don’t we leave it we’re it sits, let it slowly return to the Earth.
These bring almost 100K at auction if they are cherry, this one is just the pits.
A number of years ago one allegedly sold for$125,000 at a Barrett Jackson auction, so immediately after and for quite some time after, people tried to sell them for similar figures but as far as I know, none ever even approached six figures again but if you know of confirmed sales, I’d like to know about them. Asking prices don’t count, actual sales do
Those vehicles have always scared me and always will scare me. Can you imagine reproduction parts for this car? If they would be anything like reproduction parts for early Mustangs then they would sink as fast as they were driven in the water!
Tianticar.
3 too many “0” ‘s in the price
Wow! That’s not even good enough for a parts car. Maybe worth $10 in scrap value.
For this listing eBay needs a new option: Buy it why?
The BOAT HOUSE Restaurant in Orlando Florida, they have four restored for their fleet. You can ride around in one in the bay. Restorations is not cheep for these cars (According to the owner of the BOAT HOUSE). In the 60’s a friend of my dad who had Polio, would use my dad’s boat ramp to set sail, so to speak.
May she be resseurrected with a Triumph
(Please excuse pun on the word/name ‘Triumph’)
“Swam when docked”
I’m feeling “under water” on this project just looking at it
Theisisting can be found in the yellow pages, under Water.
Should probably donate it for an artificial rerg
“And zo zee brave men of zee Calypso return to zee boat satisfied that zee Emperor Penguins weel remain safe for zee season”
There’s not enough left for as parts car…. Just bring it to a scrap yard and collect about $10 :)
Looks like it had a fender bender with a ChrisCraft……. There was an episode of Fantom Works where they brought one of these back to life – but this one looks like somebody pulled it out of a tomb instead of a barn…….
These things go for real money. I don’t get it.
Harbor Find .
A sunken Amphicar is not out of the realm of possibility.
http://www.amphicar.net/minnow/Sunk.htm
But this one looks way worse than the one in the story…
Just a handful of upgrades away from being a complete pile of crap.
I do see a fairly nice looking oil fill cap on the engine. So maybe you could Jack that up, and….
I was just about to hit the Buy-It-Now button when I noticed that according to the listing it does NOT come with a warranty. Now, that’s just wrong.
This thing is so rotten, If you crushed this to make soda cans you’d end up with sticky fingers.
Additional photo non-submerged view
Another photo non-submerged view
Last non-submerged view
I’d rather help Gilligan repair the SS Minow then try to get this thing back running and floating.
Well if it was a rusted Mopar all the mopar fans would be paying 8k for it all day long!
Mopar guys are use to rusty cars like this car……
…and it would sell at Barrett-Jackson for $10,000.
I’d give $4.00 for the right side fender and trim then hang it on my garage wall as shop art. Then take the rear end cut it off and turn it into one of those fancy car sofa’s. Well maybe not, don’t have the valuable shop floor space to spare.
Rust is geographical. Only rusty cars here in the desert come the rust belt. And the beaches. Had a 59 DeSoto 2 years ago and had ZERO rust. None, nada. Booth my 61 Imperials, ZERO rust. Both 69 Daytonas, ZERO, as in never had rust to repair. Easterners, wake up, drive a truck and trailer to the desert, Calif, Arizona, New Mexico. Buy a high mileage vehicle, trailer it home and start restoring and quit complaining. Can’t spend much time here because I get things done and have another engine to assemble, rust free. Joe
If there is one car that I could never stand, it’s this one. I hate everything about it. The look, the functions, the lack of everything. This made no sense to me at all. I’d love to see all of these cars and blown up by missiles.