If you’ve ever had the opportunity to go off-roading (or at least trail crawling) with an ATV or other 4WD vehicle made by the likes of Kawasaki or Honda, you likely know how much fun they can be. Although I’ve never been tempted to buy one outright, odd vehicles like this supposedly amphibious Bolens Penguin here on eBay never cease to intrigue me as fun – and cheap – projects.
Supposedly one of only 29 made, this Penguin is a rare find. The story I’ve read is that the company behind it, AMF, requested that the folks in R&D develop a vehicle that could be used on-road, off-road and in the water. For whatever reason, the beancounters in management weren’t impressed and ordered the project stopped and the 29 prototypes scrapped.
Clearly, someone was either mad their project got cancelled or the wrong vehicles were sent to the shredder! I’ve found listings for a few other Penguins put up for sale over the years, and even in this for sale ad there is another Penguin in the background. The engine is a two-stroke and the seller claims it was used in a golf cart made by Harley-Davidson around the same time.
The seller says the drivetrain was “never used” so wherever these Penguins have been hiding from the scrapper also kept them from seeing daily use for the past few decades. Even though they can be considered “as new,” the mechanical bits will need appropriate re-conditioning before this Penguin hits the water. Has anyone ever seen one of these Penguins in the drink?
The machine has yet to be invented that could measure my burning desire to own this wacky thing! Dang you, Jeff! I mean, nice find, Jeff!
You know, Scotty, it’s funny – I was sure you had written this up, and I was surprised to see Jeff’s name on it! Go Jeff!
I have a message in to the seller as we speak, Jamie.. dang.
Ok, Paint it heavy with metalflake GreenGold, add a ton of flashing lights and surround it with a huge rubber bumper with two steering wheels and insert two 6 year olds.
One banana, two banana, three banana, four
Four bananas make a bunch and so do many more.
Over hill and highway the banana buggies go
Coming on to bring you the Banana Splits show!
Okay, those “banana buggies” from the Banana Splits TV show were technically Amphicat 6x6s, but this Penguin in metal flake would fool a couple of 6 year olds.
The Banana Splits !
Tra la la…laa, laa, laaa…One Banana two banana…
Never heard of the show but I did have an Amphicat back in the day. I bought it from my brother-in-law the farmer. Was pretty used up when I got it. A ton of fun! Drove it into a small river and was lucky to get out before she sank!
Interesting machine. I’m a Bolens fan, as the owner of two 1972 Bolens 1556 garden tractors. Very well built machines and I use one for hard work all year round. The other came as a parts tractor but it is on my list of future projects. Bolens was quite an innovator in the outdoor equipment market. My 40+ year old tractor can do work that my neighbors’ new equipment can’t handle.
I’m pretty sure AMF never owned Bolens. The parent company was actually a different three letter acronym, FMC. From the forties into the eighties if I remember right.
This is an interesting vehicle. If it were closer I would be interested. I’d like to know what problem made management decide to scrap the project though.
– John
GHE,
If I had to guess, I’d say unexpected sinking would put the brakes on a project like this pretty quickly. As I said…, just a guess.
The Penguin project was cancelled when 3 of the machines bring demonstrated for Bolens management caught fire in a swimming pool.
What a piece of crap. I would not pay 2 dollars for that junk.
Were it not the holiday season…I woud have terse words in response to your short sighted,ignorant response.All
The story I have heard was that one or several people were killed in one when it flipped – not hard to imagine since there is no ROPS – and the scrapping was a result of that event. One point of debate is whether or not they ever made them to the dealers. The low production # seems to indicate not, but there is a guy on the Bolens facebook group that swears his dads dealership had one on the showroom floor. Either way, neat machine! They might have been dangerous but with a name like Penguin, I’m not sure that sealed its fate either! Ha!
My father John Smeaton desighned and built these machines,they were a follow up or second generation to a similar machine built and sold out of Carleton Place Ontario, Canada in the early 60s.These ones had a small Gutbrod 2 stroke engine and a variable speed transmission like a snowmobile.The originals has a Norton engine with a 4 speed transmission,the originals were soldin quite a large number but not enough to keep the company going and they went bankrupt before the machines you see here could go into production.They were great little machines theyd do about 35 MPH on land ans 4 mph in water.they would probably sell better now
Dave,
My name is Jerome I have large collection of bolens stuff I love to get more info On these would there be a way to to get a hold of you?
My email is wilberj1614@yahoo.com.
Mr. Smeaton’s comments are almost certainly legit. I am an expert on vintage snowmobiles and I live in Wisconsin, where Bolens was headquartered. In 1969, Bolens also made snowmobiles — as many lawn/garden, marine and other recreational manufacturers jumped on the outdoor power sports bandwagon. Bolens’ snowmobiles used 3 different two stroke engine suppliers — JLO, Gutbrod and Kiekhaefer Aeromarine. E.C. Kiekhaefer had not left his company, “Kiekhaefer Mercury” (now Mercury Marine) in 1969, so that rules those out, leaving Gutbrod and JLO as possibilities.
Bolens was never owned by AMF. Harley Davidson had ZERO to do with this vehicle.
The seller’s lack of knowledge regarding this vehicle corresponds with his lack of understanding of what market value of a machine in this shape is. Supply and demand…rarity corresponds with popularity. It’s interesting as all get-out but not worth all that much.
Another Wisconsin company, Gehl, made a tracked/wheeled vehicle that would have been similar.
I can assure you I’m legit,I spoke with my mom as my dads dead and she remembered that bolens had claimed an accident that was the cause of them deciding not to mass produce them and she and my dad were sure it was staged to make it easier to stop the whole program.I was a young teenager back then and these were a real blast to drive to bad they wernt mass produced theyed probablysell now as they are more versatile than the 4 wheelers that sell by themillions.
MY email is wildgypsy1@yahoo.ca Jerome I don’t think we have any brochures or any thing like that ,over the years many people got in touch with my dad and asked for what he had and he gave it up to whoever asked.I have my memories of course. As for rolling them over ,we tested them atlength and they didn’t roll easily,it would have taken a foolhardy driver to do it.the cetre of gravity was quite low.The real problem was that back in the late 60s the type of people who would be likely to buy a toy like this didn’t have the cash that today hey would have.Trades men and the people who hunt just didn’t make a lot af money in those days. That’s my thought anyway,it was a simple and versatile vehicle that could be made fairly cheaply ,Theyd probably sell now better than they did then.
Dave,
Did you get my email I sent you?
Here is my email. wilberj1614@yahoo.com
I’m shocked and amazed that all these Bolens (something I’ve never heard of) fanatics are here on barnfinds, what an amazingly eclectic group, I love it!
Hmmm…. if you read this ad I posted below it sounds like this is the same one for sale in Wisconsin as well. Its almost word for word. However it states the side frame rail is rotted because they were stored on their side. In addition they state the engine was never used but it’s locked up. Also listed for $900.
http://w2.referlocal.com/classifieds/ebay291656920626/LOOK-Bolens-PENGUIN-1969-RARE-Brookfield-WI-53005
That link above is from ANOTHER listing currently active on EBay which is originating from a failed attempt to sell on EBay back in January. They are cool little relic machines and would a fun alternative to a golf cart around the neighborhood or at swap meets–but just because they are “rare” doesn’t define them as necessarily valuable. Proof lies in the sad conditions the owners have opted to store them–but they feel they’re sitting on a gold mine for some reason.. Oddly–of less than 30 made, two are currently for sale and a third is visible in pictures..
I have been collecting Pengor Penguins for 20 + years, and have heard or read different versions of the Bolens Penguin story. The two machines are tied together by Mr. Smeaton. The Pengor Penguin came first, in 1963 and 1964. Bolens may have produced as many as 50 of their machines, but only 3 were known to be saved from scrap, until approx 2 years ago when, through my website, I heard from someone who was cleaning up his father’s property in Wisconsin, where 5 of these were laying on their sides, out in the weather. I have pictures. Before we could strike a deal, the guy that has them now picked them up and they have been showing up on craigslist and ebay. I do have a Bolens Penguin brochure, it does say “FMC Corp.”
MY dad the designer didn’t think thathappened but who knows.THe funny thing is we did extended testing for a few years and nothing like that happened,and believe me we tried to break them,the testing was very rough,i cant imagine what they would even be doing with 3 of them in a swimming pool,probably playing bumper cars!The way they were designed they would be no more likely to catch fire thn any snowmobile as the fuel tank ,lines etc,were the same layout as a snowmobile,we never had one fire,makes you wonder,it was a no balls way to finish the project!
Just seen one in Oregon yesterday guy has a spare engine too
Bolens Penguin, or Pengor Penguin in Oregon? I I knew of a Pengor Penguin in Oregon.
My father worked for Bolens as their regional sales rep for the five state area (SD, ND, IA, WI, MN) and he returned from their annual conference in Port Washington around 1968 with a hysterical story of the debut of the Penguin at that conference. There was a lot of hype about a new product they were developing that was going to take the company to the next level. I believe it was held at the country club, not certain and it wasn’t a pool but the water trap where the incident occurred.
They dealers had never seen anything like it and were so entranced when it sped past the clubjouse that they ran around chasing it like cattle chasing a feed truck. There were two big shots in suits in the machine and they whizzed back and forth past the crowd and, when the felt their was enough excitement, they drove the thing right into the water. It kicked up water and chugged along slowly but steadily. Suddenly, there was a cough and a bang and the thing burst into flames. Both passenger and driver had to bail out and wade back to shore.
Bolens was an amazing company but I think that ploitics got the better of it. Wrong people at the helm. No, anything you see at Lowes or other retailers with the Bolens logo on it is just stamped steel with a windup motor. I believe that MTD has the name now and they have several other brands under their umbrella as well. They are all crap.
Original FMC (Food Machinery Corpoeration) Bolens are one of the best machines ever built whether it’s a commercial lawn mower (Estate series), garden tractor, snowmobile, push mower or snow blower. We always had a prototype or a demo on hand and all of them were bulletproof.
The company went to pot in the late 70’s. I was overseas and I remember getting a letter from my dad. I thought he was dying or mom left him before I even opened the letter because it;s the only letter my father ever wrote to me. Ever.
He went to work for another company named Chapparral. That’s another story but I miss them both. I just finished owing my lawn with my treasured Bolen’s 22″ self propelled mower. Manufactured in June of 1978, this mower has not rust, is all original and purrs like a kitten. All I’ve done to it is replace theplug, change the oil and put in a new carburetor diaphragm. I didn’t run that good when I was 44 years old so I’m impressed but not at all surprised. Sad to see great American compaies go by the wayside while this crap brokers like MTD make millions selling junk to people willing to settle for it.
Bolens supplied an enormous number of generators for the military in WWII. They turned to lawn care machinery after the war to stay relevent.
Anyway, that’s my Penguin story as recalledfrom my father’s telling.
An Oshkosh newspaper from July 25, 1967 reported a Bolens Amphibious vehicle fire at “the Pioneer”.