Enhancing Our Love of the Water: The WaterCar
In the words of WaterCar, they are the “Builders of The Most Fun Vehicle on the Planet!” It is hard to argue against their claim when seeing what this amphibious vehicle can do. In 2010, WaterCar established the Guinness amphibious speed record with their Python model. Since then, they have perfected and released their Panther model featured in this article.
With a custom price of $198,000, the features of this car begin on the road and continue into the water.
Features:
Top speed can be achieved in the water in about a minute. Expect to top out at roughly 45mph.
You can reach a highway speed of 80mph.
Unlimited custom colors are available, along with custom interior and fabric colors.
It is important to note that the allure of this car is the ability to be used on land and in water. Unfortunately, it isn’t always as easy as getting in and driving. Each state and country has different regulations when registering these vehicles as they are considered land and water vessels. It is much easier to get this vehicle registered as a watercraft than a road-worthy car. For this reason, WaterCar offers this vehicle in a TurnKey Minus package. This package, at $158,000, comes minus the drivetrain and custom paint.
What does insurance look like on the WaterCar? Expect to pay roughly 10% of what the car is worth as you will have to insure this as both a car and a boat. The tidy sum of $20,000/year can prove quite costly, but if you are spending close to $200,000 on this craft, what’s another $20,000. Just make sure you get plenty of use out of this!
General maintenance of such a machine is not as simple as an average car. Special care needs to be taken to wash off residual saltwater over time if operating in saltwater. It is always recommended to wash with fresh water. The unit comprises rustproof/anti-corrosive materials, but applying rust-preventative coatings to exposed metallic areas is always recommended.
The WaterCar, like most high-end sports cars, is strictly a manually operated vehicle, so go into your purchase knowing an Automatic is not available. Also, understand this vehicle is constructed like that of a jeep, hence its similarity with its appearance. Unlike the Jeep, you do not have a soft or hard-top available. The company has discussed possibly offering this as an option, but you will most likely have to seek out aftermarket offerings.
Here is WaterCar’s latest offering in hopes of supplying vehicles to the Public Safety (Fire Fighting Officials)
