Brilliant Barebones Homemade Amphibious Car Proves Less Is More

Keeping it simple is what this build is all about.

Homemade Amphibious Car

12:59

Christopher Smith

By: Christopher Smith

Sep 17, 2020 at 6:36pm ET

Add Motor1.com as a preferred source in Google

Comment

You've probably heard the phrase keep it simple stupid. Honestly, there's nothing stupid about this interesting amphibious car project from PeterSripol on YouTube. It is, however, blissfully simple in design and construction, and that could be the single reason why it works so damn well.

Of course, when we say works well, we mean the basic concept of an amphibious car being functional on both land and water. This, um, machine isn't fast by any stretch of the imagination, nor is it remotely road-legal. It has no doors, no interior, no roof, no turn signals, and as far as we can tell, no brakes even. But, it does have a steering wheel controlling two wheels in front, and two wheels at the back are chain-driven by a gasoline engine. Under full throttle, it appears to reach a velocity similar to that of a modest jogger, but its tires carry it across the ground without issue.

Cars And Water Generally Don't Mix:

In the water, the same five-horsepower engine that drives the wheels turns a propeller. It's rigged up with a gearing system so it spins with enough force to move the craft through the water at a very leisurely pace, but still, it goes forward. It's not what you'd call exciting to drive, that is, until you drive into or out of the water because let's be honest. That's the real fun in driving an amphibious car, and it seems to make the transition without any problems at all.

Sometimes They Do:

This Street Legal 8x8 Amphibious APC Is Ready For The Apocalypse

What do you think?

View

Comments

What makes this so brilliant? It's basically a simple steel frame mounted to the bottom of an aluminum jon boat, where the built-in benches are used as wheel arches. Large go-kart tires give the boat just enough clearance for the prop to safely turn without hitting the ground, and since the wheels and prop are driven off the same chain, both turn at the same time. As such, there's always propulsion regardless of the water depth, and the prop is always protected. A bit of welding and sealing on the boat was all it took to make this crazy idea work. The beauty is in the simplicity.

This may not be the end of the project, either. At the end of the clip, we're told the idea could be revisited with perhaps a bigger budget and electric power. We aren't sure about that last bit, given how water and electricity don't always get along. But we're certainly keen to see more simple solutions for complex ideas.

Source: PeterSripol via YouTube

We want your opinion!

What would you like to see on Motor1.com?

Take our 3 minute survey.

- The Motor1.com Team

Share this Story

GO TO COMMENTS

(

)

Got a tip for us? Email: tips@motor1.com

View all comments ( )

Popular

12 Cars With Names That Make Absolutely No Sense

BMW Kept This Hatchback A Secret For Decades

Bugatti Restores One-Off Veyron With A Mirror-Like Aluminum Body

The Gas BMW M3 Isn't Dead: Next-Gen Prototype Roars