Buying any car online can be a huge gamble, but buying one that’s on the other side of the globe is downright scary! This Amphicar project is located in Uganda, which isn’t the first place I would think to hunt for one of these cool and rare cars. It is in pretty rough shape, but the seller claims it is solid and rust free. Sadly though it is lacking its drivetrain. I’m also a bit nervous about buying a car from a seller with zero feedback in a country on the other side of the world. I’m pretty sure we have a couple readers in Kampala, Uganda, so maybe one of them would be willing to go take a look at this car and confirm that it’s legitimate? You can find the listing here on eBay with an starting bid of $3,500.
Amphicars are quite impressive pieces of engineering. They aren’t particularly good cars, but the novelty of owning an amphibious car makes up for any shortcomings in performance. Getting this car back on the road and water tight isn’t going to be cheap, plus getting it out of Uganda and to the States will likely be costly as well. They are getting quite valuable though, so perhaps there is an upside to this one! Just make sure if you bid, you don’t agree to cash any checks from a princes or anything else that seems a fishy.
Hmm. Rust free aside from the holes above the wheel arches, the disintegrated rockers, where ever else we can’t see. Rust free amphicar? I’ll never believe it.
Full Payments only via Western Union.
Boy, you would really have to be in love with this weird concoction of an automobile to even consider it. If they offered to ship it to me free, I would refuse.
Ha, I laughed out loud when I saw the headline for this story! Wow, talk about a gamble, a triple threat: an Amphicar, but not a restored one – a project car – and that project Amphicar is in Uganda. I see no problems there at all..
This could bring joy and happiness to many–as a coral reef. A future under water would be a poetic rebirth for this vehicle.
http://m.autoevolution.com/old-cars-turned-in-artificial-coral-reefs-photo-gallery-49850.html
Apropos of nothing; of course but “coral” reefs are made out of CORAL, which cannot be man made. These might make a good ARTIFICIAL reef, but coral reefs are made of coral. It’s a substance, not a style. I know I know, I hate being that guy. But it’s like saying you are going to make a wicker basket out of aluminum.
What ??? you don’t have an aluminum wicker basket.
Grant, yes, of course artificial at first, with sponges, algae and real coral growing on it later. Think Chia Pet. Eventually the metal will rust away. The link I provided shows some nice young examples.
There is no rust to the floor, there is not any…….
No motor or drivetrain, which are the hardest parts of these to come by.
There’s a local profiteer (for lack of a better term to describe him) who has partnered with Disney to to open a restaurant which offers tours via Amphicar. He’d been working on the deal for years with the Disney people, and in the process he virtually cornered the market on available Amphicars for sale and Amphicar spares. The restaurant opened last spring and I doubt that it will last, but in the meantime his endeavor has driven the prices (I didn’t say values) of Amphicars into the stratosphere. I’ve met the profiteer in question personally a number of times (he and I have a mutual friend, and the name is mentioned in the following article a number of times) and he is a huge a**hole and not a friend to the hobby, although he claims to be a classic car collector himself.
http://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/2015/04/21/walt-disney-worlds-newest-restaturant-offering-amphicar-tours/
But as to this thing: HA! It isn’t even worth 1/4 it’s asking price if it were down the block. It isn’t worth the effort to haul it to the local scrapper, which is likely why it’s being advertised.
He’s from here in Minneapolis (Steven Schussler) and he started the Rainforest Cafe chain of restaurants and other uber-money-making enterprises. He’s a big-thinker, no question about it, and the Amphicars are another way of making money with a theme restaurant.
Scotty G-
You’re freezing out here too? Cars and Café starts up in a few months. . .
If you find yourself in the SLP area through the summer keep an eye out for Big Steve in his Ferrari drop-top; he’ll be the cat wearing all of the Ferrari gear who can’t manage a shift without a lot of over-revving..
Mike H
Dr General Field Marshall Idi Amin MBE DSO VC& bar was also an amphicar collector, who would have thought that ?
Experts please confirm but, I was told the model number “660” on these cars meant it could go 6 MPH on water and 60 MPH on the highway. So does anyone concur?
I like the looks and the concept of these but they are not on my bucket list of cars to own.
For this one it means you could go 6mph to the bottom 60 feet below.
Isn’t the motor a triumph herald motor?
if you buy this you are going to be underwater on the car/boat both before and after you restore it. the seller has 0 feedback. interesting find.
People that write listings like this need to review their eBay writing skills. When the seller says not touched by rust perhaps they mean what’s left of the mechanicals? Later it is written — “there is some good rust” with bonus pictures of the Flintstonemobile interior. Ugh what a circus!
Well at least the seller is not in Nigeria…so I m sure its on the up and up,
Western union only and in Uganda. Mmm?
Hello to all of you I am Prince Umbasibwana from Uganda. The evil president of Uganda stole my family’s fortune and my fine collection of classic cars. They have told me I could sell this one to get my goat the operation it desperatly need. If one of you fine Americans will send me 5000 dollars I will see that this classic amphicar is shipped to you at no further cost.
OK where do I send the money—I sure want your goat to be healthy.