According to the official press release in the 1960's the maximum speed in water for the Amphicar was quoted as "Wasserfahrt: -Hoechstgeschwindigkeit 10km/h" (6.2mph/5.4knots). No manufacturer would deliberately undersell his product therefore it is fairly safe to assume that 6.2 mph is in fact the max speed you will ever get out of an Amphicar. You might have thought that with over 40 years more development that we could better this - well you can't. Water speed for a DISPLACEMENT HULL is a function of the square root of the water line in metres multiplied by 2.8 for mph, 2.4 for knots or 4.5 for kph. So even if you made a car 100 ft (30M) long it's max speed would only be 16mph! The 4 Wheel Drive Surf with its 8" diameter impeller (upgraded from 6" on the 2wd) has a speed of approx 6mph, which ties in very neatly with the above formula and is impressive considering the extra carrying capacity, size and specification compared with the much smaller 2wd Amphicar. To obtain this sort of speed in a large 4wd amphibian you definitely need the full 60+ bhp engine power to drive the jet.

Early amphibious cars had no problems with low powered, cool lamps but today's modern lamps run hot and it is not possible to drive into water with them switched on without cracking the glass, for this reason every front and rear lamp on the Surf is protected with high impact 5/16" (8mm) clear acrylic plastic so none of the lamps can ever contact the water.

Special attention has been paid to the sealing of the prop shafts (the only components going thru the hull).

We now offer a "comfort" pack consisting of 25mm multi layered sound deadening foam with a polymeric barrier which is fitted in the jet area and felt with marine grade rubber backed dark grey carpet over the entire floor - even under the seats - this more than HALVES the noise measured on the Db scale. Also with the comfort pack you get the bonnet side vents and stainless steel overbar rear diagonals (usually in painted steel)

To eliminate the need for a mild steel chassis the hull and deck are manufactured as one piece mouldings which are then bonded together to form a single homogeneous monocoque self coloured structure, all the load bearing areas - engine, gearbox, transfer box, steering, f/r axles, dampers, springs etc - have marine grade stainless steel spreader plates imbedded into the laminate. The advantage of a self coloured modern plastic composite is that it can be repaired and scratches easily rubbed out. An anti-slip pattern is moulded into various areas of the deck as an aid to safety. Being plastic composite there is never any need to wash the car regardless of whether it has been in fresh or salt water.

Over the years we have carried out some weird and wonderful modifications to our standard Amphibs: -

• Shorter (to fit side-ways on boat deck) Minimum length 150" (12.5ft) 3.81M. Additional charge regardless of reduced length £2500 + VAT (UK)
• Longer maximum + 36" (3 ft) 0.91M Additional charge regardless of increased length £2500 + VAT (UK)
• Tracked vehicles for adverse terrain.
• Collapsible windscreen/steel tube over bar (to fit in restricted area in hold under boat deck).
• Extending rear boarding platform and adding davit (to hold a one man submarine).

All the above modifications have been handled on a one off basis and if you have any specific requirements please contact the factory, many modifications can be carried out free of charge.

The approximate cargo size is 24" (610mm) high (to waist line) x 47.5" (1210mm) wide x 51" (1300mm) long.

A panel van version can be produced by using our hardtop with solid side panels

Some funny things happen when you put a car in water, here are a few and our solutions to them:-

• When a car is driven on the road the brakes and axles always heat up. If the car is then driven into water the temperature of the axles suddenly drops due to the water always being colder than the surrounding air. This causes the air trapped inside the axles to contract very quickly - so quickly that the negative pressure actually sucks water passed the oil seals into the axle with dire results. This phenomenon is called axle suck. On the Surf both axles are vented to air (well above the water line) so any sudden pressure drop is accommodated with no effect.

  Exhaust system

• If you have ever tried to start a car that has had it's exhaust system immersed in water you will know that you have a major problem, this is because auto silencers are filled with fibre wadding, when this gets wet it blocks the system and either the engine won't turn over or it starts and the exhaust blows up. To overcome this our system (which is part made from stainless steel) uses a specially made perforated tube type silencer, if the car is left in water and the silencer fills up simply turning the engine over with the starter motor clears out the system. Also incorporated into the system is a high U bend that stops any water from being drawn back into the engine.

  Mild steel v aluminium v stainless steel

• Typically aluminium is 3 times and stainless steel 6 times more expensive than mild steel but this significant extra cost is more than compensated for by the knowledge that your amphibious car won't simply rust away and sink before your very eyes. It is almost impossible to imagine a more inappropriate material to make an amphibious car out of than mild steel unless of course you want it to end up looking like a colander! And to make the point this picture shows a typical old boat trailer made from mild steel ( AND it was galvanized) - just imagine what a normal mild steel chassis or body would end up like.

• It is a fact that all ferrous metals, if unprotected, will corrode by the natural process in which iron is converted back to it's naturally occurring form of iron oxide under the influence of water and oxygen. Therefore corrosion would not occur if the steel could be coated with a film which is completely impervious to water or to oxygen since both are required for corrosion reactions. The front and rear axles (the only Suzuki parts on the "wet" side) are completely stripped and painted with 3 coats of marine phosphate primer, marine under coat and marine topcoat. All components we fit (including nuts & bolts) on the "wet" side of the car are all manufactured from marine quality AISI 316 stainless steel. With stainless steel the anodic reaction leads to the formation of an oxide film, this so called "passive oxide film" is insoluble in water and hence the metal is well protected and can be left in it's natural state.

  Why plastic?

• It's really hard to believe that only 50 years ago (when plastic had already been invented) that someone would actually be paid to sit down and deliberately design and build an amphibious car out of highly corrosive mild steel but that is exactly what they did in the 1960's with the Amphicar and the results are all to obvious today - at one extreme rusty cars that leak and at other end of the extreme - immaculate cars that the owners won't take into water in case they start to rust and leak again. Have you any idea how annoying and time consuming it is to have to thoroughly wash down a mild steel hulled car with a high-pressure fresh water hose every time it comes out of the water? - And that's assuming that there is a standpipe near the slip in the first place. With a plastic car you NEVER have to wash it down.

  Back-up flushing

• Although not very likely with a jet it is always possible that seaweed or underwater debris can get wrapped around the impeller. To solve this simply put the gearbox in reverse, this ejects the debris back out thru the intake duct.

  Radiator

• On some amphibious cars the radiator is stuck out right at the front so if you ever nudge anything the first item to get smashed is the radiator. In the Surf the oil and water radiators are both concealed inside the safety of the engine bay.

None of the Suzuki components (other than the transfer box) are modified which means that if any servicing /repair work is required any competent garage can undertake it, also spares will be available anywhere in the World where the Suzuki is sold. We recommend that once a year (normally at the end of the season) The underside of the car is examined, in particular the steel axle/suspension components and if they have been scratched and the paint removed they are cleaned up and high quality marine paint re-applied.

PAIR FRONT DOOR SIDE WINDOWS.
Manufactured in black canvas and clear plastic, attached by 3 screws and is easily removable.

SOFT TOP FRONT. (fitted in front of over bar)
Soft canvas, easily removable.

SOFT TOP REAR. (fitted behind over bar)
Canvas, aluminium hood irons, clear plastic side windows and rear window. Rear window has side zips for easy rear access.

HARDTOP rear. (fitted behind over bar)
Solid GRP, attached to body with bolts. Automotive glass fitted to side and rear. Rear glass is hinged for easy access and is lockable.

HARDTOP Targa front. (fitted in front of over bar)
Solid GRP, attached to body with cam locks (key supplied).

1. Turn both bilge switches to "auto" (normally always kept in "auto").
2. Put foot on clutch (car can still be rolling forward i.e. down a slip way).
3. Engage jet clutch lever (marked red).
4. Take foot off clutch and drive or roll down to water.
5. When in water put foot on clutch put transfer box lever (marked black) into neutral and gearbox into 3rd and off you go.
6. Water speed is controlled by the car accelerator pedal.
7. To reverse put gear lever in reverse and transfer box in 4H.

To leave water

1. Put foot on clutch and engage transfer box lever (marked black) into 4wd and gearbox lever into 1st.
2. When wheels touch land take foot of clutch and drive out of water.
3. Put jet clutch lever (marked red) into neutral.
4. Whilst driving, dis-engage foot clutch and move transfer box lever from 4 low to 2 high and off you go, it is recommended that you drive with the brakes lightly on for a few 100 yds (100M) to warm them up (this will stop them sticking if you park and leave the handbrake on)

For anyone who is not used to boating we will be more than happy to spend a couple of hours with you when you collect your Surf showing you how it works on water and giving advise on which side of the river to drive, collision avoidance etc.

To date we have not found any Country that requires you to have either insurance or a licence to drive a Surf on water.