The Aquada car took a test drive on the River
LONDON'S newest sports car took a test drive on the River Thames yesterday.
The amphibious Aquada is part speedboat, part car. The convertible has a steering wheel in the middle of the front seat and no doors. (You have to hop in).
Designed to reach speeds of 100 mph (161 kph) on land, it can switch to cruising on water within seconds, according to Gibbs Technologies, the British firm that designed it.
Once waterborne it can reach speeds of 30 mph (48 kph).
One hundred of the cars are being built, and they will be sold late this year for about £150,000 ($252,910) each.
The car is part of the Aquada Bond series, but the company couldn't say whether that is a veiled reference to James Bond and the sports-car-cum-submarine that he operated in the movie The Spy Who Loved Me.
In promoting the Aquada vehicle, Alan Gibbs, chairman of Gibbs Technologies, said heavy traffic in English cities such as London makes it pointless to have a sports car that can't leave the roads for a short cut across a river such as the Thames.
"With this you can have a really good car on the road, and an exciting toy that can tow a water skier, that you can commute to work with, that you can go to St. Tropez with and take two girlfriends," he said.
During the test drive in the River Thames, the Aquada entered the waterway down a ramp and appeared as maneuverable and watertight as a speedboat.
When the car enters the water, its wheels retract into the wheel-arch, while the drive mechanism is transferred to power a jet that propels the vehicle.
Gibbs said the car was the product of a seven-year development program, and 60 newly patented technologies.
"The design requirements for the Aquada were daunting, but the technology has delivered and demonstrates the quality of British engineering. I am extremely proud of the achievements of the team in making this a reality," Gibbs told reporters.
Gibbs, a New Zealand entrepreneur, built his first fast amphibian vehicle in 1995, before moving his company to Britain in 1999.
The Associated Press
The amphibious Aquada is part speedboat, part car. The convertible has a steering wheel in the middle of the front seat and no doors. (You have to hop in).
Designed to reach speeds of 100 mph (161 kph) on land, it can switch to cruising on water within seconds, according to Gibbs Technologies, the British firm that designed it.
Once waterborne it can reach speeds of 30 mph (48 kph).
One hundred of the cars are being built, and they will be sold late this year for about £150,000 ($252,910) each.
The car is part of the Aquada Bond series, but the company couldn't say whether that is a veiled reference to James Bond and the sports-car-cum-submarine that he operated in the movie The Spy Who Loved Me.
In promoting the Aquada vehicle, Alan Gibbs, chairman of Gibbs Technologies, said heavy traffic in English cities such as London makes it pointless to have a sports car that can't leave the roads for a short cut across a river such as the Thames.
"With this you can have a really good car on the road, and an exciting toy that can tow a water skier, that you can commute to work with, that you can go to St. Tropez with and take two girlfriends," he said.
During the test drive in the River Thames, the Aquada entered the waterway down a ramp and appeared as maneuverable and watertight as a speedboat.
When the car enters the water, its wheels retract into the wheel-arch, while the drive mechanism is transferred to power a jet that propels the vehicle.
Gibbs said the car was the product of a seven-year development program, and 60 newly patented technologies.
"The design requirements for the Aquada were daunting, but the technology has delivered and demonstrates the quality of British engineering. I am extremely proud of the achievements of the team in making this a reality," Gibbs told reporters.
Gibbs, a New Zealand entrepreneur, built his first fast amphibian vehicle in 1995, before moving his company to Britain in 1999.
The Associated Press
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