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3. 1961 Amphicar
Here is another experimental car for our list because it shows the odd propensity of inventors and engineers to figure out multi-tasking duties for a car. The Amphicar is a nod to the Volkswagen Schwimmenwagen developed by the Nazis during WW2 for amphibious landings.
“Imagine Schultz! Drive the car down the bank and across the river without having to find a boat, and then drive it out of the water on the other side without stopping. What could go wrong?”
Plenty. The Amphicar is a terrible car and crappy boat. It takes on water pretty easily and requires a bilge pump to keep it afloat. There are a surprising number of the more than 4,000 produced between 1961 and 1968 still on the road or in garages and marinas. Well, maybe it’s not so surprising. If you own one of these wheeled barges, you are going to constantly tinker the thing so as to show it off when you can.
Why it’s so dumb: A car, a boat and a trailer is a much better option. And who needed an unarmed car like this for an amphibious landings in the early 1960s besides Thurston Howell III.
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