There has only been one mass-produced amphibious car that can tackle both land and sea. This vehicle was built in Germany, had a British Triumph Herald motor, and was aptly named the Amphicar. Early last month, the city of Amsterdam hosted an annual parade of amphibious cars for the final time, since the town will restrict waterway access to zero-emission vehicles only starting in 2025.
As with most cult cars, the Amphicar has a passionate following who go to great lengths to celebrate their amphibious misfit motorcars. Just under 4,000 Amphicars were ever produced in West Berlin between 1961 and 1968, and it was criticized for its compromised on-road performance where it topped out at 70 mph despite being marketed as a sports car, and its limited on-water performance where it had a meager top speed of 7 mph.
This multi-day amphibious car parade had 100 participants, primarily consisting of Amphicars. Unfortunately for the amphibious car community, this was the final time that these automotive oddities will ever frolic in Amsterdam’s iconic waterways. This isn’t the first time that the Amphicar has been hamstrung by emissions regulations, though. In fact, new emissions and safety regulations actually caused the Amphicar’s death in 1968. The amphibious car parade is an annual event that moves countries each year, so it will continue, but this was the final time it will take place in this city. Amsterdam has hosted the event four times since the parade’s inception in 1987. According to Reuters,
”Everybody has to think about the environment and we understand it but it’s a pity we can’t easily turn these cars electric. … So we’re going to enjoy this last time”, said Dutch participant Onno den Boer.
Typically, the event attracts around 80 participants, but this year 100 amphibious car enthusiasts joined the parade. “And that’s only because we set a limit. We created a waiting list,” [organizer of the annual amphibious cars parade, Roy] Bolks said.
As unfortunate as it is to know this may be the last time we will see a gaggle of adorable Amphicars putting around Amsterdam’s waterways, it’s heartening to see a country taking the climate crisis seriously.
