Amphicar

The Amphicar, sold as the Model 770, was a small amphibious automobile that could be driven on roads and then driven straight into a lake or river. It was launched at the 1961 New York Auto Show and was built in West Germany, designed by Hans Trippel and manufactured by the Quandt Group at Lübeck and at Berlin-Borsigwalde. Production began in late 1960 and the last new cars were assembled in 1965, though the car was marketed into 1968, and 3,878 were built in a single generation. A rear-mounted Triumph four-cylinder engine drove the rear wheels through a four-speed manual gearbox and, in the water, a pair of reversible propellers under the rear bumper, while the front wheels steered in both elements. Its performance was modest against contemporary cars and boats, roughly 70 miles per hour (110 km/h) on land and 7 knots afloat, but its novelty made it a lasting classic, with owners still meeting for swim-ins today. The article names the Volkswagen Schwimmwagen and the Trippel SG6 as its spiritual forebears.