You have just 8 days left if you want to bid on what is to many the ultimate in superyacht accessories: An amphibious Car.
E Bay have the Dobberin Hydrocar listed for sale at a Buy it Now price of US$777,000 or if you like you can place a bid.
Built by Rick Dobbertin it is a one off project.
On land, its full-length articulating sponsons (or pontoons) are raised and become the car’s fenders. Upon entering the water, the sponsons are lowered nearly eight inches to transform the car into a tunnel-hulled watercraft within a matter of seconds.
The center body section of the HydroCar is built around a space frame and roll bar constructed completely from 304 stainless steel. The frames within the articulating sponsons are fabricated from 6061 aluminum. The center car is covered with a 5086 marine-grade aluminum skin. The actual color of the HydroCar is 2006 Corvette Velocity Yellow.
Water propulsion is handled by the ‘750-Horsepower-Upgraded’ version of the ASD-6 Arneson Surface Drive and a Rollo 6-blade, stainless steel propeller.
The lack of funds and no end in sight for the financial crisis is the reason for a forced the sale – plus apparently the cold weather in upstate New York is restricting his ability to make another test-launch before spring of 2011.