Barir's World
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Gibbs Aquada
June 13, 2007
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An interesting feature of Aquada is its multiple air intake passages on top of the vehicle. Of course. There are no front grilles—very bad when speed boating. And, since the engine compartment is sealed below and on three sides, all the cooling air must come from the top.
;)
A bit duck-shaped for a convertible, Aquada can hit the road and the water, with a simple, removable roof to cover up ocean spray.
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Aquada features a five-speed automatic transmission—and a water mode button to switch to jet propulsion power.
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Paul Revere might have a problem if he were called upon to go all lantern-in-the-steeple and warn of the approach of this new vehicle from England’s Gibbs Technologies. One if by land? Two if by sea? Neither’s quite right in this case—maybe three lanterns would be best.
That third option would be a must if any would-be attacker used the Gibbs Aquada, a revamped vehicle that runs up to 100 mph on highways and 30-plus mph on the water. PM featured this land-sea hybrid in a cover story three years ago, but when we spied the Aquada last weekend in Michigan (see photos below at right), the folks from Gibbs gave us some happy news in advance of their press conference today: Already available overseas for $200,000-plus, the new Aquada will head to production late next year and finally go on sale in the U.S. in the first half of 2009 for under $100,000. And it’ll meet standard safety and emissions regulations in this country.
We
jumped over the side of the door-less Aquada and hopped in for a quick
and dirty (and quiet) spin on land, but the real magic happens when you
pull this puppy past the shore and press the speedboat button: In less
than 13 seconds, the wheels retract and power switches from a
four-cylinder, 175-hp V6 engine to water-jet propulsion—like a robot walking on water.
But buyer beware: Even if Aquada is water skier-friendly, you’ll probably need a boat license. That’s what got the prototype model pulled over by an Oakland County sheriff after Gibbs did five demo runs here on Pine Lake in southern Michigan—thus legally ending our shot at a water test drive. Other than that, though, the company says this boatmobile is unsinkable, even if it’s swamped in. —Jim Dunne
Gibbs Aquada
The
Aquada from Gibbs Technologies of Warwickshire, England, is the
furthest along in development of the current amphibious offerings. The
first wave of these British-built car-boats is scheduled to roll
(float?) off the production line this February. Aquadas numbered 1 to
100 will be called the Bond (as in James) Series, and they reportedly
will zip along at 110 mph on land and 35 mph in the wet. The going
price for the Aquada in England is about $250,000, and company co-owner
Alan Gibbs says 20 of them already have been sold. The United States
isn't expected to see these amphibians crawling onto its shores until
at least 2006.
Virtually all the components in the 3-seat Aquada, save the 175-hp 2.5-liter Land Rover Freelander V6 engine and the Jatco 5-speed automatic transmission, were designed by Gibbs. Building the vehicle from scratch, as opposed to using off-the-shelf hardware, obviously adds to the cost. The composite body has no doors--this measure was taken to ensure a watertight compartment. That's interesting considering the Amphicar and WaterCar seem to have no problem with watertight door sealing. To enter and exit the Aquada, it's yo-ho! Over the side, matey--except for those with arthritic or rickety hip joints. The car's body is glued to the square-tube aluminum chassis.
On land, the Aquada is driven by the rear wheels. A second axle powers a jet pump that delivers 2200 pounds of thrust for water use. Gibbs had to design this pump because there was not one available that could deliver this level of performance in the required compact-size package.
In general, compared to American-engineered automotive products, the British seem to favor complexity over simplicity of design. In addition to the separate axle shaft for the jet pump, the Aquada has dual cooling systems--a conventional air-cooled radiator for the landlubbing mode and a separate water-cooled heat exchanger for when you don your captain's cap.
Switching from car to boat mode requires just 5 seconds with the press of a button, and the transition in operation is seamless. Built-in safety features prevent the transformation from taking place until the on-board computer determines that it's appropriate to do so. Ride-height sensors must indicate that all the wheels are at full drop, and other sensors must detect the presence of water in the jet.
Gibbs says he drives the Aquada into the Thames at 25 mph. When the water reaches a sufficient depth, a number of things happen simultaneously. The wheels fold into the wheel wells and the steering rods are articulated, which allows the steering to be disabled. The power steering is used to control the direction of the jet pump.
Trim tabs are set automatically to the correct angle for takeoff, and the rear axles are disabled. Each halfshaft going to the rear wheels incorporates a hydraulically operated clutch, which is disengaged in the water and engaged for power delivery to the wheels when on land. Gibbs says that 5 seconds into the water mode, the Aquada is on plane and zooming down the Thames toward London (while he waves to motorists bogged down in traffic). And while they're waiting, if they have a wireless connection to the Internet, they can check out the Aquada Web site: www.aquada.co.uk.
Cheers!