Official: Gibbs debuts new pair of water-going amphitrucks

Filed under: Specialty, Off-Road

"When am I going to get my flying car?" It's one of the more annoying questions we get asked on a regular basis, and the answer is quite simple: Something that's designed to do two things is rarely good at doing either. Particularly when you're talking about motor vehicles.

So that flying car won't be particularly good for either flying or driving. And the same goes for amphibious vehicles - that is, vehicles designed to drive on (or off) road and float on water. By and large the history of these vehicles dictates that if you want a boat, you're better off buying a boat, and if you want a truck, you'd better by a truck. Just don't expect one to do both.

Gibbs Amphibians - the same outfit behind the Aquada amphibious sportscar and Quadski ATV/jet-ski - aims to change that with a pair of vehicles called the Phibian and the Humdinga. Both are designed to drive at highway speeds on the road and travel up to 30 mph (a respectable clip for a boat) on the water, with retractable wheels allowing it to switch between the two in seconds.

The 30-foot-long Phibian (pictured above) looks something like a Coast Guard patrol boat on a trailer packs a 500-horsepower turbo diesel that can drive all four wheels (selectable) or a pair of water jet drives, carrying up to 15 passengers. The Humdinga (pictured at right), meanwhile, measures 21.5 feet long and packs a 350-horsepower supercharged V8 to carry up to seven people.

Both are designed to make the transition from land to water and back to land, enabling rescue and supply duties to be carried out with ease and efficiency. We just wouldn't expect either to be particularly adept in either environment. Check 'em out in the high-res image gallery and press release after the jump for a closer look.

Continue reading Gibbs debuts new pair of water-going amphitrucks

Gibbs debuts new pair of water-going amphitrucks originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 14 Feb 2012 08:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.autoblog.com/2012/02/14/gibbs-debuts-new-pair-of-water-going-amphitrucks/

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