We try not to feature finds with inflated prices, but Amphicars are so rare and unique that I thought this one deserved a mention. It’s a 1968 model and even though there aren’t many around, I bet you have heard of the Amphicar. In a stroke of genius or maybe a bit of insanity, a German designer named Hanns Trippel decided that the world needed a car that could not only drive down the road, but that could navigate the water. It wasn’t really good at either function, but the novelty of the thing made it interesting then and collectible now. Find this project here on craiglist with an outrageous asking price of $27k! Remember, #4 drivers go for about $30k. Perhaps with a little prodding the seller will come around and price it more accordingly? Thanks goes to Bob R. for the tip!
does the deal include :
the art work on the side of the car,
the tow-strap attached to the front, that dragged it to it’s current resting place
and the hubcap that one of the front tires sits on ??
…then I am all over this one.
It’s a screaming hot deal and should be letting off steam at the current time……..
I am almost at a loss for words. The seller is highlighting his kids “art work” more than the vehicle! Virtually no description. Asking price that is reaching for the moon! This seller has to be on something? I did not know they had legalized that stuff yet in NY!? Or he must have recently been visiting CO! Wow! Major “pass” without looking in the rear view mirror!
I can never understand the interest in these things. They are usually way overpriced. Its not a very good car and a very lousy boat. But…..somebody will just HAVE to have one. I am very content with my rubber duckies.
This is a sight. Someone holds themselves and their discarded articles in very high regard here. Drag it up next to the dog run and propane tanks, leave it out in the weather, allow graffiti, and soon someone will show up and let you know you have a gem – presto! $27K! Easy. Next please.
The car looks solid and the seller says “all parts available”, a key requirement. Values are relatively stable again on these rare toys, and low mileage originals can push to $75k. A quality restoration might also return a great investment in the $55k+ range, given the right selling atmosphere. The supply of Amphicars will always be limited, I hope someone gets this one.
The last picture is people lineing up to buy his Amphicar.I dont think his kids did the art,he probably did it.I would love to have this car,but I dont have $100,000 to put into a car right now,and Im in California.
For slightly more money, one can buy a nice running driver. Oh, I forgot about the art work…
I’ve seen a fair few of these in my time so I can say for curtain that they’re not rare, you may be able to tell, if you’ve seen more than one you should definitely be able to tell that the amphicars are basically a Triumph Herald which means that most, if not all the parts are available from Triumph dealerships so it’d be fairly cheap to repair and restore.
Everything in mind $27,000 or approximately £18,500 is far too much for this, even if you ignore the import costs, Tax, MOT and registration probably bringing the price to £27,000 and that’s if nothing goes wrong in the restoration and you’re fairly lucky. It’s just too much, I’d expect to pay not just a little less but approximately 10 grand less, I’ve seen plenty go for around $/£9,000 in better condition.
this is not a triumph herald
they only used the herald 1200 engine
nun of the running gear is herald
these ware made in lubeck germany
i worked one of these back in 1996
i had to replace engine the gearbox is a marine box
this the one i worked on me with a late friend who owned
just been down to the river to test it out its now been sold
somebody is in la la land! back when it was a neat idea. LBJ had one on his Texas Ranch, and scared the daylights out of ppl who were along with him when he drove it full throttle into a lake. . they are known rusters, and apparently are just as bad on the road as in the water If someone has the bucks, go for it
When you put two different items (car and boat) together, one has to make compromises. Having worked on these when they were new, I can say that they were really unique, eye catchers, but unfortunately the finished product wasn’t a very good car or boat. I lived in the Midwest where rust abounds, and these were particularly prone to rusting, because they never really dried out after being in the lake, river, or whatever body of water.
For the kind of money they are asking, given the pictured condition, I can only say that the ad left off an important line; “Illness forces sale, owner is incurably optimistic”.
Cheers,
Keith
dumbest idea ive ever heard and the price is outrageous never understood why they sell so high but i guess when one sells at barret jackson the hoarders come out with their piles of rust and want the same a better buy that also would never sell would be a pile of Yugos You could at least stack them into a wall lol
A bit pricey but a restorable car. Anyone knocking Amphicars obviously has no experience with these cars. The were very capable boats, slow but sturdy, and drive just fine on the road. They were very well engineered and their high survival rate is proof of that. Why is it when a car is discontinued or a manufacturer folds the cars are automatically deemed as bad. Desotos were made fun of every week on Happy Days, great cars but labeled as a joke, Edsels (need I say more), in a decade or so Oldsmobiles, Pontiacs, and Mercurys will be the next batch of “lemons”
Just strap a can of “Flex Seal” next to the required fire extinguisher to fix any leaks that may occur and go.