Rick and Susan Lloyd of Pickering make a splash wherever they take their 1962 and 1967 convertibles.
asserted
they → make → convertibles
They are Amphicars Model 770s, the only civilian passenger cars manufactured that also travel in water.
asserted
that → manufacture → water
The amphibious cars were made in Germany and marketed from 1961 to 1968, with production ceasing in 1965.
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production → make → 1965
Rick explains how they acquired their first Amphicar.
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they → explain → Amphicar
Susan’s uncle had the car and spent a few years convincing me to buy it.
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uncle → have → it
He owned a gas station and got it in 1964 from a guy who bought it new because he had owned a cottage on an island and could drive the car right to the cottage.
uncertain
he → own → cottage
He told Susan’s uncle he should buy it for advertising, and her uncle agreed, if the seller gave him a receipt saying it was a snow plow.
asserted
it → tell → receipt
The uncle told his wife he’d bought a new convertible, picked her and his two daughters up, and drove into the river.
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he → tell → river
His wife jumped out.
asserted
wife → jump → ?
He wasn’t married for much longer after that.
asserted
He → marry → that
He put it in a barn and left it.
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He → put → it
Unbeknownst to me, it had been sitting forever and he’d done nothing to it.
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he → sit → it
As we were flying down the road to the boat launch, I realized it had no brakes.
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it → fly → brakes
He drove it into the river, and water was pouring in everywhere.
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water → drive → river
I was pretty much convinced then to buy it and paid $6,500 for it.
asserted
I → convince → it
I took it to Whitby Harbour to make sure the bilge pump was working, got halfway into the harbour, and water was coming out the back end.
asserted
water → take → end
I took it apart and took two years to restore it.
asserted
I → take → it
A friend’s dad painted the body (Lagoon Blue) for me.
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dad → paint → me
He said: “It’s going to be the prettiest thing on the bottom of the lake.”
asserted
It → say → lake
It feels like a from the ‘60s, with no power steering or brakes.
asserted
It → feel → steering
It has a German transmission and Mercedes parts, but it has a rear-mounted, four-speed British Triumph engine and the fuel tank is in the front.
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tank → have → front
It’s called a 770 because it can go seven knots in the water and 70 mph (100 km) on land.
asserted
it → call → land
It’s designed with all the features of a boat, such as navigation lights and you have to have life jackets and a paddle.
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you → design → jackets
It is registered as a boat and car.
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It → register → boat
The freakiest part is driving into the water.
asserted
part → drive → water
It’s a weird sensation and you have to shift into water transmission.
asserted
you → ’ → transmission
You can run the drive wheels and dual props at the same time.
asserted
You → run → time
It has no rudder and you can’t steer it like a boat.
asserted
you → have → boat
You need a football field to turn it.
asserted
You → need → it
We trailer it to lakes or river rather than driving it, as it doesn’t have seatbelts or side-view mirrors.
asserted
it → trailer → seatbelts
People are honking at us when we’re trailering it down the highway.
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we → honk → highway
We have taken it to Florida in winter, but stay to freshwater bodies of water with it.
asserted
We → take → it
Susan says: “Our favourite part is when we get to a boat launch and peoples have trailers and trucks, and we go around them and be in the water in under a minute.
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we → say → minute
Everyone is freaking out.”
asserted
Everyone → freak → ?
It’s a crappy car and crappy boat, but lots of fun.
asserted
It → ’ → fun
Its sits low in the water and we take it out when it’s calm.
asserted
it → sit → it
It doesn’t lend itself to rough water or wakes.
asserted
It → lend → water
We were in a lake north of Orillia once when it quit and started taking on water.
asserted
it → quit → water
A guy with pontoon boat towed us.
asserted
guy → tow → us
In 2023, Tim Hortons did a promo by having a floating drive-through on Lake Scugog for boaters and paddlers.
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Hortons → do → boaters
…and 18 more, not listed.
The Aporia
