Gibbs Aquada Bond Series
How's this for the ultimate crossover vehicle? The appropriately named Aquada Bond Series is a roadster that can turn into a speedboat at the touch of a button!
The Aquada is the first truly usable amphibian. It drives well on the road and, due to its jet ski technology, is amazingly fast and fun on water. With a price tag of £150,000, it's clearly not for the masses, but it could be an attractive proposition for wealthy drivers who live near water.
How's this for the ultimate crossover vehicle? The appropriately named Aquada Bond Series is a roadster that can turn into a speedboat at the touch of a button!
The brainchild of New Zealand businessman Alan Gibbs, the British-built amphibian can top 100mph on land and 30mph on water. That might not sound fast to landlubbers, but it's quick enough to water-ski behind! So is it a joke, or can the Aquada be taken seriously? Auto Express visited Bishops Bowl Lake in Warwickshire, and took to the road, and the water, to find out.
Built on a spaceframe aluminium chassis with fibreglass body, the Aquada looks like an overweight Mazda MX-5, - the two cars share the same headlamps. However, inside it's a three-seater with the driver positioned centrally between two passengers.
But while the chairs are comfortable, the lack of windows means you are in for a soaking if it rains. Even the removable hood is little more than a canopy to keep off the sun and light showers rather than downpours. Power comes from a mid-mounted Land Rover Freelander 2.5-litre V6 engine, and is delivered to the rear wheels through a five-speed automatic gearbox.
On the road, the 1,350kg Aquada achieves 0-60mph in nine seconds and considering it's half-boat, handles and rides reasonably well. But it's in the wet stuff where it excels. Before entering the water, hit a button to engage aquatic mode and drive down the slipway.
Once afloat, clutches disengage power to the rear wheels and then all four fold up into their arches to make the Aquada more streamlined. Flooring the throttle makes the machine rise up as one ton of thrust is pumped out through a jet ski-style directional nozzle. This produces awesome acceleration and lets the Aquada turn on a sixpence or do sideways power drifts. Once you're done having fun, head for land, press the dash-mounted button to unfold the wheels and the Aquada becomes a car again. Just give a big squirt of the throttle to power up the bank and you can drive ashore.
But the Aquada has a big, big problem - its cost. For the £150,000 asking price, you could buy a Ferrari and a speedboat. But then neither will have people mistaking you for James Bond.
