0:00
It's a car that you drive down the road
0:04
The fun part comes when you come to the water, drive in and then off you go down the river
0:11
It's one of the best feelings you could ever have. Kent in England is home to a car that's as happy on the water as it is on the road
0:28
I'm Kerry Cheese and this is my 19-16. and this is my 1964 amphi car. I found the vehicle in Canada on eBay
0:35
It was up for silly money. I contacted the seller. We just got talking on the phone
0:39
and he accepted my offer. I restore military vehicles for a living
0:45
I have restored a couple of amphi cars anyway, so I had a fairly sound knowledge of what I was doing
0:51
When I received the amphi car, it didn't really need too much work
0:54
It needed more mechanical than body work. It took me about three to four months
0:59
getting it all ready for a boat safety scheme, basically a boat MOT for the river
1:03
And getting extra bilge pumps and making sure things were safe and it was watertight
1:11
Probably costs start to finish around 32 to 35,000, which was a reasonable price for one of these vehicles
1:24
Less than 4,000 amphi cars were built in West Germany in the 16th
1:28
5 feet high, 14 feet long and weighing 2,315 pounds. This vehicle is powered by a triumph engine
1:37
It is an everyday car on the road. From inside you wouldn't even know you was in a boat
1:44
It is very comfortable It quite easy to drive You got to remember everything just take a bit slower You not rushing through the gears I have had it to 70 but cruising 65 is usually
1:55
okay. The brakes are only as good as the effort you put into them. You're back in the 60s
2:00
with their technology. Basically it's a car that you drive down the road. The fun part comes when you come to the
2:12
water. Drive in, engage the props sharp. at the back and then off you go down the river
2:20
There's a second lock on the doors and it just pull them up otherwise the water comes pouring in
2:27
I've forgotten it once. The water does come in but luckily it wasn't too fast
2:32
There's only one thing left for it now. Let's take it in the water
2:45
It's easy, it's one of the best feelings you could ever have
3:06
With a top speed of 8 miles per hour on the water, it won't break any speed records, but it does turn a few heads
3:13
The people in boats all wave to you, they're all smile, everyone takes potos
3:19
Everyone seems to recognise that it's a car and can't believe what they're seeing. The one thing you do have to remember is that you can't use your brake pedal on water
3:27
It operates the lights and stops the wheels spinning in the water, but that's all it to do
3:32
It's great. It just makes a great day out
