2009 WaterCar Amphibious

WaterCar, Inc is the brainchild of Dave March and his two sons. For over thirty years March has been an avid high performance car and boat enthusiast. In 1998 March accepted an offer to sell his business and semi-retired. He was looking for a challenge when his youngest son expressed an interest in amphibious vehicles. Together, they restored a 1964 Amphicar. However, they were very disappointed by its performance. It was fun to drive into the water but once in, it traveled at a top speed of 7 mph. March discovered there had been a number of amphibious vehicles constructed through the years, but no one had successfully built one capable of operating at high speed in both the water, and on land. To do so became March's obsession.

Following 5 years of trial and error, major breakthroughs and major disappointments, March began development of his third model, which would incorporate the lessons learned throughout the prior years. He designed this WaterCar along the lines of an extended cab pickup truck. This provides the ground clearance and length to achieve the ride dynamics he has been seeking from the beginning. As an added benefit there is storage space for skis and fishing equipment or groceries depending on how it is being used. After six long years March achieved his original design objectives and has a product he anticipates offering for sale to the public later this year. The first public showing of the WaterCar will be May 2nd and 3rd at the Keels and Wheels Concours in Seabrook Texas.

The WaterCar is a fiberglass amphibious vehicle styled after the 2002 Convertible Camaro body style. It is powered by a Turbo charged 2.5 Liter 300 HP Subaru engine. The transmission is a Rancho Type I-4 speed manual transmission. (posted on conceptcarz.com) The four wheel independent suspension and brakes are late model C-4 Corvette with stainless steel rotors.

The WaterCar can reach speeds in excess of 125 MPH on land and the drivability with the Corvette suspension is outstanding. Once the WaterCars is driven into the water all four wheels are hydraulically retracted with the flip of a switch. The bottom covers that enclose the wheel well are also hydraulically extended to create a smooth high speed bottom which allows the WaterCar to easily hit speeds of 40 MPH on the water. The Marine Drive is a Berkeley 12JE Jet Drive with a place diverter to control the ride depending on water conditions. The WaterCar has four usable seats and the doors are fully functional. The aircraft style lock assembly assures the doors are completely water tight for water operation. The WaterCar has a removable center mount ski pole which makes it ideal for wake boarding or skiing.

Source - WaterCar Inc.