Gibbs Aquada
Encyclopedia
Amphibious vehicle
An amphibious vehicle , is a vehicle or craft, that is a means of transport, viable on land as well as on water – just like an amphibian....
developed by Gibbs Technologies, an Alan Gibbs
Alan Gibbs
Alan Gibbs is a New Zealand businessman, entrepreneur, and art patron; and one of New Zealand's wealthiest residents. National Business Review magazine estimates his wealth at $450 million.-Career:...
company. It is capable of speeds over 160 km/h (100 mph) on land and 50 km/h (30 mph / 26 knots) on water. Rather than adding wheels to a boat
Boat
A boat is a watercraft of any size designed to float or plane, to provide passage across water. Usually this water will be inland or in protected coastal areas. However, boats such as the whaleboat were designed to be operated from a ship in an offshore environment. In naval terms, a boat is a...
design, or creating a car
Čar
Čar is a village in the municipality of Bujanovac, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the town has a population of 296 people.-References:...
that floats, the Aquada was designed from the ground up to perform very well in both fields, with over 60 patents covering technical innovations.
In 2004 Richard Branson
Richard Branson
Sir Richard Charles Nicholas Branson is an English business magnate, best known for his Virgin Group of more than 400 companies....
, owner of the Virgin Group
Virgin Group
Virgin Group Limited is a British branded venture capital conglomerate organisation founded by business tycoon Richard Branson. The core business areas are travel, entertainment and lifestyle. Virgin Group's date of incorporation is listed as 1989 by Companies House, who class it as a holding...
, used a Gibbs Aquada to set a new record for crossing the English Channel
English Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
in an amphibious vehicle. Branson cut 4 hours 20 minutes off the previous record of 6 hours, which had stood since the late 1960s. The officially recorded time was 1 hour 40 minutes, 6 seconds.
For the August 2004 edition of Top Gear
Top Gear (magazine)
Top Gear is an automobile magazine published by BBC Worldwide, and named after the BBC's Top Gear television show. It was first published in October 1993 and is published monthly at a price of £3.95. The major presenters of the television series—Richard Hammond, James May and Jeremy Clarkson—are...
magazine, journalist Paul Walton
Paul Walton
Paul Walton is a British motoring journalist.His career started in 1999 working for Classic Cars magazine before moving to BBC Top Gear Magazine in 2002....
drove an Aquada into and around the Monaco
Monaco
Monaco , officially the Principality of Monaco , is a sovereign city state on the French Riviera. It is bordered on three sides by its neighbour, France, and its centre is about from Italy. Its area is with a population of 35,986 as of 2011 and is the most densely populated country in the...
harbour during the Grand Prix of Monaco
2004 Monaco Grand Prix
The 2004 Monaco Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on May 23, 2004 at the Circuit de Monaco.__FORCETOC__-Summary:One of the most eventful races of the 2004 season, the Monaco Grand Prix saw Ferrari driver Michael Schumacher qualify in fourth place...
to watch the event for free. He found the Aquada fast and responsive both in and out of the water but was too low to see any of the race.
The Aquada was developed in the UK and Detroit.
See also
- AmphicarAmphicarThe Amphicar is an amphibious automobile, the first such vehicle mass-produced for sale to the public starting in 1961. The German vehicle was designed by Hanns Trippel and manufactured by the Quandt Group at Lübeck and at Berlin-Borsigwalde. Its name is a portmanteau of "amphibious" and "car". The...
(1961) - Gibbs Humdinga (2006)
- Gibbs Quadski (2006)
- WaterCarWaterCarWaterCar is an American company that builds modern car-based amphibious vehicles to order.Their prototypes were a Camaro-like convertible and a Jeep-like SUV—both of which use water-jet propulsion technology similar to the Gibbs Technologies Aquada amphibious vehicle.The company is currently taking...
- Rinspeed sQuba