Miguel Sánchez
PHOTOS AMPHICAR MODEL 770: DUFFY'S CLASSIC CARS / QUANDT GROUP
During the years of Nazi rule, German engineering was subject to military strategy. Subsidized, financed, promoted ... Anything was worth to equip an army with pretense of planetary dominance. In this sense they invented multitude of elements as advanced as curious. Some of them were amphibious cars destined for the Wermacht ground forces.
Among them stood out the Tripple SG6. With its 26 centimeters of chassis height, almost 15 km / h in the water and a rough 6-cylinder engine and 55 HP many of these amphibians ended up intended to move small groups of soldiers in areas without bridges. The attention for this type of vehicle during World War II was such that even the Beetle had its own version: the Vw schwimmwagen.
From 1942 to 1944 it was so in demand by Nazi troops that it became the amphibian with the largest series production in history. At the end of the Nazi rule, all these devices at the service of terror were no longer necessary, so its technological advances could be applied to civil life. This is how the Amphicar 770 was born. An interesting amphibian that, although it had units serving in the Berlin police, was mainly thought of as a curious form of leisure.
AMPHICAR: WITH 6-METER WAVES AND THE BOW WIND
The truth is that amphibious cars are rather rare. Beyond the military or the James Bond Submarine Lotus Esprit… The truth is that few brands have dedicated themselves to this type of vehicle. In fact, it seems that there are only two companies focused on it. But nevertheless Hanns trippel I was somewhat obsessed with the subject ...
It started in 1935. And guess what model! Indeed, the Trippel SG6 that we have mentioned previously. Despite the fact that most of his creatures were gutted on the battlefield, this German was still bitten by the amphibian bug even 26 years later. So things, presented its most successful product at the 1961 New York Auto Show: the Amphicar 770.
Powered by a 1-liter Triumph four-cylinder, this four-seater was produced in West Germany for 5 years, reaching 5 units. And don't think that its navigation capabilities were merely anecdotal; in 1965 two Amphicar crossed the English Channel with headwind and waves of up to six meters. Personally, it seems quite risky to us. But the fact is, the Amphicars held up like wild boars.
MORE BEAST BUT… WILL IT BE ABLE TO FLOAT?
Many of the Amphicar 770s ended up in the United States. There they are now highly valued among collectors, who They come to pay up to $ 78.000 for a unit in original condition. Something from which our protagonist is quite far away. And it is that this one in particular received the attention of an American fascinated by the culture of customization.
Neither short nor lazy He removed the original engine to put a Buick V6 in its back. Obviously this forced a rethinking of the body, which acquired more than striking air intakes. In addition, he also put a new gearbox, leaving behind the original four-speed manual to incorporate a three-speed automatic.
In sum, "americanizedTo the Amphicar 770 on a good basis. Of course, this increase in weight poses something important to us in an amphibious car. Will it be able to float? In any case, one thing is for sure: far from trying to cross with him to England we would not even put him in a quiet swamp.
