Slashdot Mirror
A Camaro That Leaves A Wake
Artana Niveus Corvum writes "I came across this entirely at random, but it seems like someone with too much time on his hands has taken an old idea and improved on it... and come up with something truly unique and cool: a car based on a 2002 Camaro body with a Subaru WRX Turbo engine (300 horsepower) capable of going over 125MPH that doubles as a boat capable of going over 40MPH."
The site must have been running on someone's personal home server because slashdot crashed their server.
This guy had an idea and started a business. He's done more than people here who bitch about companies outsourcing IT jobs to India.
2 below-threshold comments and it's down ... come on people, you're like the hand of a vengeful god of websites!
I am one of many. My idea is not unique, nor do I expect my voice alone to sway you. I speak in a chorus of opinion.
This will sure resolve all those commuter issues in Venice.
40MPH? What's that in knots?
Give me Classic Slashdot or give me death!
Engine 2.5 Subaru Turbo
Transmission Rancho 4-Speed Manual
Jet Berkeley 12 JE
Length 207"
Width 75"
Height 49"
Weight 2775 Lbs.
Wheelbase 100"
Road Speed 125 MPH
Water Speed 45 MPH
Fuel Capacity 22 Gallons
BUT WHAT IS THE PRICE?
Webmaster of Infoweb
Now if only their server had power to match that...
Is Capitalism Good for the Poor?
Hmm... f must stand for "fifth" now... Or maybe you meant to say "ffp," for "fourth first post?"
Intresting article I am sure. But before more than a few comments are posted, its already toasted. The editors need to have some sort of mirror... google, anything.
snowulf.com
at a dead stop cause it was slashdotted!
"Slashdot, where telling the truth is overrated but lying is insightful."
Slight nitpick, but is it using the engine from a WRX or an STi? They're essentially the same car, but the WRX puts out around 230 horsepower whereas the STi puts out either 276 or 300, depending on where in the world you are.
This is a really interesting project either way, neat hack.
Wow, who would of thought THIS would ever be ON TOPIC?!?! Maybe he wasn't kidding?
"Uh, how you gonna get down to the shore?
Funny you should ask, I've got a car now.
Oh wow, how'd you get a car?
Oh, my parents drove it up here from the Bahamas.
You're kidding!
I must be, the Bahamas are islands, okay, the important thing now, is
that you ask me what kind of car I have.
Uh, what kinda car do ya got?
I've got a
BITCHIN CAMARO!....."
(go find the MP3... legaly of course)
~Z
... does it run linux?
With the moo and the cow and the fish. Minesweeper Record: 7 sec
no they switched to "olds".
De sig boss de sig
Google Cache Here
Find out about the Lexus Rx400h Hybrid!
It's like a case mod made to look like a can of Hamm's.
I'm a friend of a friend of the working class.
Looks like we sunk his battleship.. err, server
Slashdot sucks
Dave March - Builder of the WaterCar
WaterCar, Inc. is the brainchild of Dave March and his two sons. For over thirty years March has been an avid high performance car and boat enthusiast. His passion and desire has been for building and piloting fast planes, boats and cars. To facilitate his obsession for cars and boats he also developed a knack for repairing wrecked cars and boats. For the past twenty years March started and developed his collision repair business into one of the largest, most state of the art facilities in the world. He then took many of the systems and repair techniques that he developed and co-founded the Caliber Collision Center Franchise which currently has annual revenue of over 155 million.
In 1998 March accepted an offer to sell his business and semi-retired. After putting the finishing touches on his large custom home he built on the golf course in Newport Coast above his 6,000 square foot basement garage/design center equipped with every conceivable tool and piece of equipment imaginable found himself with a lot of spare time and pent up creative juices. This is dangerous combination for Dave March. He was looking for a challenge when his youngest son began looking at amphibious cars. Together they found a 1964 Amphicar and restored it. After all the work, they were disappointed by its performance. It was fun to drive into the water, but once in the water, it was slow and not as much fun as expected.
March threw himself into researching every amphibious vehicle in the world and discovered that amphibious vehicles are much more popular in Europe. And, to his astonishment, he realized that of all the vehicles ever built, no one had successfully built a true high performance amphibious vehicle.
That's when it hit him- why not combine his love of high performance cars and boats into a single, high performance amphibious car? "Everything he needed was right here in Southern California". The best hydraulics are available from the low-rider crowd and the rear-engine drive technology from the high performance sand-rail market. Every drive train combination you could imagine is available for inspection at Glamis. The brakes, suspension and speed accessories come from the hot rod aftermarket industry which is booming in Southern California. The most important part, hull and jet configuration, from the performance- boat industry along with unlimited input from great boat people that are very willing to help. He started thinking he could build a high performance amphibious car from off the shelf parts.
March wanted to build a four-seater, yet still keep the car sporty looking. The 2002 Camaro was the ideal starting point. He purchased a Camaro fiberglass funny-car shell body, added hundreds of labor hours and he had a great looking Camaro car/boat plug. He built the molds from the plug and proceeded to build the first parts.
March built a lightweight stainless frame to mount the suspension and motor to and fit it to the body. The challenge was to make the wheels retractable. He attended a couple of low-rider shows to figure how to make the wheels retractable and settled on using parts from Homies Hydraulics. The motor and jet combo was another significant challenge, particularly getting it all to fit in the trunk area. March wanted the WaterCar to look as much like a stock Camaro as possible.
The first time on the water, the vehicle performed beautifully, with only one significant problem: "It wouldn't plane out!" He made multiple trial trips back and forth to the lake, adding more boost for additional power and tinkering on the jet setup. After some additional work on the bottom, he was finally getting on plane easily and reaching 45 mph. Success at last!
The newest version of March's handiwork drives just like a car on the road and actually handles very well with the Corvette suspension. "It has plenty of power from the Subaru 2.5 Turbo WRX motor. When you go in the water, you simply drive in, put the transmission in neutral, engage the jet, fl
Considering that the LS1 engine that came stock on the Z-28 and SS modes pumps 305-320 (and thats underrated, the same engine powers Corvettes, and Chevy understated the output so it wouldn't cut into Corvette sales). Popping a turboed WRX engine in there is hardly an "upgrade."
"seems like someone with too much time on his hands"
I agree.... wait, was that about the boat/car builder or the submitter?
Indeed a slow day.
125 really isn't all that fast, and I hope they didn't change out the engine just to achieve more power. If they made it an all wheel drive vehicle with proper balance between the wheels (and less excessive weight on the front from the removal of the GM 350ci V8), then that's good. The boat thing is just becoming passé. While it requires some engineering, a low center of gravity with proper sealing and flotation will allow anything to become a boat.
My '78 Chrysler Cordoba could do 125...
Do not look into laser with remaining eye.
"a car based on a 2002 Camaro body with a Subaru WRX Turbo engine (300 horsepower) capable of going over 125MPH that doubles as a boat capable of going over 40MPH."
My name's Bond. James Bond.
Pictures of Watercar and Aquada. http://www.jetski.com/article.cfm?id=433
:)
Nice to see that the watercar is 150K while the other Aquada is 235K.
Now lets see something a slashdot reader can afford.
Popup crap? Firefox to the rescue.
Is a scanning red light on the front, and they'd have Knight Boat!
As long as there's always a canal, that is.
Just because you can mod me down, doesn't mean you're right. Shoes for industry!
and come up with something truly unique and cool: a car ... that doubles as a boat
Maybe cool, but not unique! There was a story about a sportcar/speedboat that came up a while back. True, it can only go 100mph on land and 30mph in the water, but I'd say it's close enough to say it's not unique.
Oh yeah, and this site called Slash- something or other posted about the the same vehicle.
(note: not that I'm upset with the content of this news item, I think it's even cooler to have modded a car to do this than to create one from scratch -- I just have a problem with hype like saying something is new and unique when it's not)
Punctanym: alternate spelling of words using punctuation or numerals in place of some or all of its letters; see 'leet'
maybe, but those pictures sure were slow to load.
Without reading the article (as the site is down) I'm having a hard time understanding if he swapped the Camaro's stock motor out with the one from the Subaru, or if he's using it as some sort of augmentation.
If the car was an SS or a Z28 I definately do not understand why he would do an engine swap -- it's difficult to believe that the Subaru's engine brings much to the table that the LS1 couldn't. The LS1 engine puts out around 325hp stock in the 01-02 model years, is a V8 and has an all-aluminum construction. It's also a torque monster in the upper RPM bands. What's not to love about that?
Now if the car were just a plain-jane Camaro or an RS running the 5800 V6 engine it makes perfect sense to swap the engine out, although I can't imagine what a PITA it must have been to make a Subaru engine run in a Camaro. The rewiring couldn't have been pretty.
A post about a car that isn't turned into a robot, Star Wars ship, or anime something or other!
...geez, did it really *have* to be a Camaro?
I mean come on, that's like spending tens of thousands on a high end stereo and on room acoustics, then playing the Beastie Boys.
It has a Camaro body, but has several other major non-Camaro systems.
Are you still required to wear the typical Camaro drivers mullet, or can you avoid it because it isn't pure Camaro?
Now we know how Rod got his ride, his parents really did drive to the Bahamas
Bad Panda! No Bamboo for you! In matters of importance ACs will not be responded to. Want to say something critical,OK
As opposed to those people who build Lego models of the Deathstar, or memorize Pi to 15,000 digits.
Say what you want about the guy, I bet he has no problem picking up chicks.
I am NOT a man!
I am a free number!
Car Boat crosses are neither original or good. They fail as cars and as boats.
They generally have VERY poor on water performance especially considering for the price of building one of these monstrosities you could have a sports car and a sport boat. Considering the engine on that thing, the boat performance aspect of it is awful it's not even close to being fast for a water craft and it's not even the worlds fastest car boat cross either, not even close, try 80mph but I digress he gave it a good shot.
Car boat crosses then to be very unsafe on land at higher speeds because the hull shape forces air down and builds a bow wave of air making the front end unstable causing at least poor searing response and at worst roll overs and swerving.
This is just a waste of a good car and some boat parts and a whole lot of time. Considering no one's time is free even the cheapest moron with a car could buy a crappy boat working at McDonald's in less time and then he'll have a boat and a car and people won't laugh at him on and off water.
Just FYI my Sea-Doo does over 40mph on water and seats 3 instead of two.
DONT get me wrong this is impressive, but it the things other then speed. The land speed could have been safely left out.
125MPH is not impressive, I have done that on my 500cc "beginner" bike (that blackout last summer where the police were direct traffic at lights instead of handing out speeding tickets). And I did 110MPH in my stock ford focus (before I chickened out)
I am aware that it is a dual purpose vehicle but an underpan should improve the land speed of a car.
I've seen these every once in a while on the discovery or learning channel. Cars that are also boats. Okay, so this one might be a little faster and cooler looking, but the bottom line is they don't sell because there's no market.
But cool nonetheless.
Popular mechanics a few months back. Old news.
What the heck is a 'sig'?
I hate Java, what the Hell. :(
This dude totally put the wrong body on his car. Although I can't find out why he chose a Camaro because his site is down, he missed out on even more high-fives and conversation snippets like these:
"OH MY GOD! A FLOATING DELOREAN!"
"I haven't seen a floating delorean since 2004."
"The way I see it, if you're gonna build flotation into a car, why not do it with some style?"
Just in case the server crashes and burns (like they usually do),I have put up a mirror.o m/meetbuilder.html o m/ o m/photo.html
The mirror of http://www.watercar.com/meetbuilder.html is at http://mirrorit.demonmoo.com/r_215/www.watercar.c
The mirror of http://www.watercar.com/ is at http://mirrorit.demonmoo.com/r_215/www.watercar.c
The mirror of http://www.watercar.com/photo.html is at http://mirrorit.demonmoo.com/r_215/www.watercar.c
Do we not yet realize that all slashdotters do is look at pictures and google doesn't tend to cache those?
W/o seeing the article, I can understand why they are using the subaru engine. They have been used in kit planes for years.
As such Google tells me that 45 mph = 39.1039309 knots.
Pretty decent speed, that....
Important info:
http://www.lifeaftertheoilcrash.net
http://dieoff.org/synopsis.htm
http://www.peakoil.net
Buncha morons posting trashtalk here... Lets see how many idiotic comments don't make any sense.
1. Camaro has 4 seats, not 2, and this boatcar also has 4 seats.
2. The subaru engine has plenty of power to push a car like this to over 125 mph. The basic camaro RS has less power than that subaru engine and can take a camaro RS to around 135 mph.
3. It uses a jetdrive, not a prop
4. It isn't a converted camaro, rather it's a custom design that looks like a camaro and actually uses many suspension parts from a corvette.
5. If you read the material, you see that the smooth underbody for water use is achieved through moving panels. In land mode, the panels are retracted. This likely disrupts airflow under the body and reduces lift.
6. Unless you're an aerodynamic engineer, STFU about what the boat hull shape will do to the aerodynamics of the vehicle. The original pre-1998 camaro was shaped like a wing and would flip over at speeds over around 180. This thing is sculpted in a rather different fashion and speculation on it's aerodynamic behavior without knowing the cross sectional shape or doing wind tunnel testing is just that - uninformed speculation.
Pitiful negative morons bagging on the article without even looking at the website... How about a big cupful of STFU.
And 125mph is nothing. I take it up to 155mph (Where the speedo cuts off) at least once a week. I'd hate to have my 5.7l V8 gutted for a 4-banger. Thats blasphemy..
-Imidazole2
I was driving home from work one day during a flash flood. The bridge that I needed to take was closed because some jackass in a semi truck recked in the storm. I had to drive through a lower elevation and the water was so deep that it got sucked into my air cleaner. In fact it was only an inch or two below my window. My car stalled because of the water in the air filter.
Pushing a Camaro out of 2.5 feet deep flowing water REALLY sucks.
LK
"Hi. This is my friend, Jack Shit, and you don't know him." - Lord Kano
Did anyone else immediately think "SpyHunter" while reading the subject header and storyblurb? A few machine gun head-lights and surface-to-air missles, and this guy will be in the same league as the guys using GPS for their real-life Pac-Man game.
The PC Weenies: 11 Years of Online Tech 'Too
"BEEEEEP!"
Whats that?
Oh yeah, my karma whore alarm. You set it off. Posting a comment high up in the discussion that has nothing to do with the parent is rule 3 in karma whoredom, right after rules 1 (posting 'its funny, laugh' after a joke) and rule 2 (posting 'can someone explain X' when X is explained in the article).
Only wonder why they wouldn't remove the standard twinscroll turbo and setup a twin turbo setup and gain another 70-150 HP. Its not like there isn't the room in the Camaro engine bay to fit that type of setup. It is one of the only reasons why the Impreza STi doesn't have a TT, because it takes up so much space that other parts would need to be completely redesigned (i.e. no room for the top mount intercooler, so it would need to be front mounted, the water enjection cooling on the intercooler would need to be removed, as well as the windshield wiper pump/resevoir, etc., which on a street/road car, you will need the windshield wiper fluid). I also believe that they have an issue with the 6 spd transmission which runs the STi being able to handle that much extra HP/torque (especially considering people are blowing the transmission with the stock 300HP setup if they drive it hard), let alone the tranny being able to handle the extra 150HP a good twin turbo setup would give you.
I am surprised they wouldn't do alcohol injection or NOS injection to thin the fuel mix and gain 30-50HP. Alcohol would be the easiest and cheapest. The stock engine has already been hardened for alcohol, all that would be needed is the resivoir, pump, hoses and you are good to go.
It is an interesting idea...
We were all warned a long time ago that MS products sucked, remember the Magic 8 Ball said, "Outlook not so good"
...before it hits the chip that cuts the engine. The engine is working, sure, but without the chip I'm sure it could do a lot faster than that. (The engine is at only about 20,000 RPM... I forget what it red lines at, and I'm in a different country at the moment.) I'm sure it could beat 125 MPH without any trouble.
It's only a 3.8L. The V8 can spank it.
I saw this at the Los Angeles boat show a few months ago, it's pretty neat. I talked to the guy, and the only problem is it's extremely hard to get legalized in most states (especially California). It also costs something like $125,000.
-tom
In Soviet Russia the insensitive clod is YOU!
She looks like she's had a good mod job done as well, and fits in with the car nicely!
I've got almost a complete mirror here:
http://slushdot.org/mirror/watercar/.
I'm still working on the videos and full images.
the girl in the pictures is pretty hot. i'll take two.
...Russia, they have built stuff like this And that wasn't the fastest one either. To make the long story short, if you want to be fast and amphibious, WIG all the way!
Does auto insurance cover accidents on the water?
The airlines will have their goons on this guy any minute now.
Just search for "40 mph in knots"
:)
Google calculator really rocks
and I thought the first rule was to say "I'll probably get modded down for this but..."
Nope - it would actually be KIFT - the Knight Industries Four Thousand - the revamped edition of KITT featured in the ultra short-lived series Knight Rider 2000.
Although, KITT did have the ability to drive on water in one episode of the original series.
(ripped from somewhere else)
Why would anyone engrave "Elbereth"?
It has the same engine as a vette 5.7L Aluminum V8 320Hp, the WRX wins in the curves but the stock WRX does not go 0 to 60 in less than 5s and with a supercharger the camaro SS will do 0 to 60 in less than 4 sec. Say what you will about a camaro but don't knock its ability to accelerate.
While it would be nice if the eds checked the Last-Modified header, I still found this story to be interesting (well, the mirror anyway). I personally had not seen this before, and enjoyed the "article". Not everyone has been to every site you have.
Granted, he did a little more than strap some 55 gallon drums on the side as pontoons. But time is a luxury when you're fleeing from the clutches of a ruthless dictator.
Open Source Java DAO Generator
I always thought that a Camaro drove like a boat
I had a Camaro in the 70s, and compared to today's cars it was a total piece of garbage. It had dangerous handling, it broke down constantly, it was shoddily constructed, and chunks were falling off of it when it was only 8 years old.
Maybe a few cars from back then claimed more horsepower than what you can get today. (I kind of doubt it with cars like the Dodge Viper on the market). Keep in mind that horsepower numbers were inflated back then, and the drivetrains and suspensions were not capable of utilizing the horsepower that they had.
If you read any car magazine, there are plenty of aftermarket shops that do modify today's cars, and they manage to keep them legal as well.
STi engine has 2.5 liters of displacement vs the 2.0 liters of the WRX.
I can't be the only one who thought:
A Camaro That Leaves a Wake...OF DESTRUCTION As It Speeds Through Groups of Pedestrians!!!
Yeah, and if it doesn't run linux or have an iPod built in it has no place here!
:-)
Please keep the novelty car-mod stories on topic
The 1960-era(!) Belgian children TV-show "Kapitein Zeppos" ("Captain Zeppos") featured an amphibious car. The Belgian government-sponsored TV station "VRT" has made a description of the series (in Dutch), which includes a picture of the car.
Obviously, it didn't go as fast as the camaro, and, according to the site, "turning it was a bad idea, while at the least movement of the water, the car would heavily move from left to right".
What if it starts raining really hard and you hit a puddle, does the car become confused and turn into a boat, making your new destination that tree over there?
-- "of course thats just my opinion, I could be wrong." --Dennis Miller
While I am willing to accept that this guy does indeed own this car, I can almost guarantee you that the girl riding with him in the pictures is a rental.
Since the likelihood of my being able to afford a Camero anytime soon is about the same as the chance that Chitty Chitty Bang Bang was a true story, I figure the above is a reasonable comparison.
File under 'M' for 'Manic ranting'
I'm sure if I drove my car at 125MPH into the water it, at some point, would be going 40MPH in the water.
Heh, that's pretty funny.
But I'm not being a karma-whore. Look at the subject:
I dont care about the car
The grandparent didn't care about the car and so i was responding to him. To be entirely ethical I probably shouldn't have replied to the grandparent, but I was in a hurry.
Also, is there a place where I can consult these canonical rules of karma-whoredom you speak of? Feel free to reply with a link.
Thanks.
I once played with the idea of having a WRX, but everytime i was on a track somewhere, 50% of the WRX had broken transmission or turbo. I know someone installed rally gears, but I wouldn't be able to stand the whining. So I wondered if they have been made more robust?
You obviously know nothing about Subaru's and IHI turbos. Subaru tried a twin turbo setup on the JDM Legacy STi and it did not work well, but that's besides the point. There are probably mainly throttle response and logistical reasons why the USDM STi uses the VF39. The STi doesn't have water injection. No production car has water injection. Some have water spray on their IC's. no one is blowing the 6-speeds on the STi. In fact, I haven't heard of anyone EVER sheering the gears off of ANY STi 6-speed whether imported from the JDM V7 or factory or otherwise. Jeff Sponaugle is running currently 500hp with a FP Green turbo and the 6-speed with no problem and he just became the first pump gas street trim WRX to run 11's a few days ago. What the hell with alcohol injection? how has the stock engine been "hardened" for alcohol injection. Explain to me with some engineering formulas why you believe so.
Rover (or one of the companies that are now Rover) did an amphibious vehicle in the late 60-es. Featured here: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0345 236203/104-7631974-3723944?v=glance
There was something I personally find more interesting, rewarding and easier to implement. The russians used to make a fairly decent amphibious trailer/mobile home. Forgot the name, but it was quite cool. 12 knots, capable of running in most general freshwater conditions (30 cm max wave) + the general comfort you get from a camping trailer.
Baker's Law: Misery no longer loves company. Nowadays it insists on it
http://www.sigsegv.cx/
I bet it hurts being stomped in the twisties by a car with a live rear axle, doesn't it rice boy?
Care to put your money where your mouth is?
Didn't think so. Didn't even have the guts to not hide behind AC.
Some people are like slinkies--basically useless but they bring a smile to your face when pushed down the stairs.
Or better yet, a car+helicoptor.
:(
Unfortunatly, the moment you try to deviate from the "standard" designs of airplanes or helicoptors even slightly, the FAA and other aviation authorities dont wanna touch it
Even if you needed a pilots licence to use one, I think a "flying car" would be very popular with rich people (the kind who currently use executive helicoptors combined with chauffer pilots).
Ever watch Monster Garage? One time they took one of those Volkswagon bugs and made it into a car that could float in a swamp. There was a big propeller inside and all kinds of other crazy stuff. I think it would be bitchin to build something like that in a cooler car.
ITs a fscking sales pitch! that entrepeneur is laughing all the way to the bank.
SURELY NOT!!!!!
...before the chip cuts the engine.
And that was an V6 - I'm sure the V8 could do a lot better than that. So yeah, when I read 125, it was a bit of an anti-climax for me too...
not that I knows anything about these things, but I'd imagine the engine from the Subaru is significantly lighter than the original camaro engine. Probably kinda important when your building a boat
The Romans didn't find algebra very challenging, because X was always 10
I remember seeing this on TV quite a few months ago and showing a co-worker it and she was simply amazed at it. Frankly so was I, I thought it was a much better car than that otherone available for sale. Anyway, to summarize, it really it quite old.
Odd that none of the videos on the site show transitions. The shot of the car driving into the water fades into a full speed shot, and the video of the car driving out never shows it with panels down...
-- this sig beneath your current threshold
there is no replacement for displacement, douche!
Forced induction baby!
These aren't your grandfather's turbo-charged cars. Or even your father's.
Some people are like slinkies--basically useless but they bring a smile to your face when pushed down the stairs.
rd
I don't know why most people think 125MPH is a ridiculous speed? Not long after I bought my 90 Accord 2 years ago I took it for a spin and got it up to 129MPH. I was scared absolutely shitless but it got there after a good minute or two I think. I mean the highest spedometer speed is like 140 so why shouldn't anyone expect it not being able to get up to a couple of miles of that? I think people should instead quote how quickly it can get to that top speed.
Reflecting back on the experiences that day I have never ever driven that fast again nor will I ever again. Now I follow the speed limit to the digit. Can you imagine the carnage of a wreck at that speed? Holy molly.
Check out the floatation devices on the owner's girlfriend :p
ermmmmm. Who do remind me of? ... Oh, i know- you must be the missing brother of Branden Robinson?
(those who have seen his old page will know what I'm talking about)
--Coder
WaterCar Specifications
The WaterCar is a fiberglass amphibious vehicle styled after the 2002 Convertible Camaro body style. It is powered by a Turbo charged 2.5 Liter 300 HP Subaru engine. The transmission is a Rancho Type I-4 speed manual transmission. The four wheel independent suspension and brakes are late model C-4 Corvette with stainless steel rotors.
The WaterCar can reach speeds in excess of 125 MPH on land and the drivability with the Corvette suspension is outstanding. Once the WaterCars is driven into the water all four wheels are hydraulically retracted with the flip of a switch. The bottom covers that enclose the wheel well are also hydraulically extended to create a smooth high speed bottom which allows the WaterCar to easily hit speeds of 40 MPH on the water. The Marine Drive is a Berkeley 12JE Jet Drive with a place diverter to control the ride depending on water conditions. The WaterCar has four usable seats and the doors are fully functional. The aircraft style lock assembly assures the doors are completely water tight for water operation. The WaterCar has a removable center mount ski pole which makes it ideal for wake boarding or skiing.
This sporty four-seater makes it possible to drive to the lake, experience an exhilarating boat ride and drive back home again without ever leaving your car!
rust test in progress.
not to mention, this amphibious creations lacks any degree of V in its hull to handle choppy conditions. anything over 2-3 ft chop will make it sink.
freshwater only. otherwise, this turd is bound for the rust heap.
i'll take my eliminator daytona 21' Mercury Hi-Perf 2.5 Outboard over this anyday. 109 MPH with fogged NOS. Motorcycles solve traffic problems, not expensive, low production turds like these. good invention otherwise. creative engineering. i have an appreciation for that.
I'm sure it will resolve traffic problems world wide.
-
AC
I mean, real tits just don't look like that.
http://www.watercar.com/images/25large.jpg
Now i know why the car floats.
These cars have been around for awhile, back in the 60's they were called 'Amphicars'.
The recent program converted a classic rare (the heresy!) Lotus into a hovercraft!
Channel4 TV recently started a series, loosely like "ScrapHeap Challenge" (equivalent to the USA's "Junkyard Wars"), where a team of people have to convert one vehicle into another. Unlike the junkyard/scrapheap, they have money to spend!
I'd love to enter one of these TV programmes, but it seems to me that the key members of the team need to have metal-working skills, welding being the main one! I could do the electrics, but my software skills would probably be wasted :-(
So there's a Trans-Camaro out there that isn't sitting on cinder blocks? And the body panels aren't a mix of primer red and primer gray?
That is truely a Bitchin' Camaro.
The engine is behind the rear wheels, not in front of them. That makes it a rear-engine, like the old VW beetle and Porsche 911s.
Politas
Once again, just plug all those factors into google, and let it take care of it!
And on the weight issue...
The Camaro/Firebird V8 has been an aluminum-block since '98 (possibly '97, but definitely since '98). The LS1 was introduced in the Corvette, then the F-bodies picked it up. My wife's car is a '00; I've driven raucous high-horsepower cars, but this one is very smooth in normal driving. You'd never know it has 305-HP, and even more torque. Later years, and the SS versions, pumped out even more power stock.
If you had the room for the install, the torquey V8 could use a lower cruising RPM, hopefully a longer life than the turbo-4.
Hopefully the Dead Milkmen will get workin' on
FISHIN' CAMARO!
this comment dedicated to Dave Blood, RIP
If this is Heaven I'm bailin out! I cant tolerate this ol tin-tub, so fulla trash and rats...
Cool Amphicar site here A jeweler on Lake Minnetonka in Wayzata, Minnesota owns one of the Amphicars and drives it in parades and on the water during summer weekends.
I like the Gibbs Aquada too. As posted above, more expensive. But you have to like those retracting wheels.
Have you Meta Moderated t
just got PWN3D!!
by putting a crappy import engine in an American car.
Here's a picture from a google image search. It's a convertible, cool! http://www.amphibiousvehicle.net/amphi/W/watercars pecial/watercar-a.jpeg
What? Gimp? Locked in a box, fucked up the ass and peed on?
Wild crazy story - and then there was a poster early on who mirrored the site - which by the way still won't load... I'm not about to change my Camaro into a freakin water car..but if anyone has any links to how I can add a do-it-yourself hyperdrive, I'd very interested.
Hitting a chop or waves with those big wheel openings would be unpleasant (skid, flip... periscope up!)
Not a new show. Just a new show to your side of the pond. =P
... disturbing. =P
Monster Garage has been on the Discovery Channel for a few years here in the States.
And I have no idea who this "Cookie" guy is, but he's no Jesse James.
And if you think Monster Garage is amusing... Monster House is
Dude, all Deloreans were floaters. :)
-Turkey
Aluminum block V8's are fairly light, as light as a small 4 or 6 cyl turbo iron block motor... something us classic 911 owners know very well. A common (frowned upon) swap is a small aluminum block V8 into a 911, and the engine weight is basically the same as compared to a very small displacement six.
Secondly, although I can't read the slashdotted site, I'd hazard a guess the engine swap was to be able to use a Subie transmission more than anything else... so you can drive the car with the front wheels and use the driveshaft going to the rear differential to drive it in the water.
Could be totally off-base, but thats how I'd do it, and would be why I'd consider that sort of a transplant in that case.
People have started putting those Subaru engines in 911's, too... they fit very nicely and have lots of very reliable power.
and this slashdot article isnt really even that interesting...something like this would be better
Yes... they took a 1998 VW beetle... dropped an engine in the back for a 'blower'.The thing didn't go very fast, and by the end of their test the thing was sinking hardcore.... at least they made it back to shore.
I'm guessing this is limited due to the 4 speed Tranny more than body/weight/horsepower.
$ man woman *
-bash:
But I saw it on the news here in Detroit, The pictures don't do it justice to the action footage. If you've got about 150K to blow, why not?
Use your head, can't you, use your head,
You're on earth, there's no cure for that - S. Beckett
Are you sure it isn't this one:
Of all of the words of tongue or pen,
the saddest are these: "it might have been."
Yeah I'd take a RV-Sub, I'd use it as my underwater lair
I know several people with GM F body cars those back seats are a joke and you know it, no grown adult can sit with 4" of rear leg room, don't go running to the spec sheets because they move the seats for mesuring and if you're getting the full 10" in the back it's because the front seat is all the way forward.
Me no spellming. My culleg want banckrupt 1/2 wey thro tha two-nd symestire -- Actually it really did, which is a kick in the ass cause the student body wanted to sue.
Wouldn't Google and this sort of rather extraordinary database be a great combination? The parent to this post is pretty incredible, when you get down to it.
Do not mock my vision of impractical footwear
It LOOKS like one, but from the images, it was created in fiberglass.. so its not really a chevy thats been converted...
---- Booth was a patriot ----