AN EYE-CATCHING James Bond-style motor that clock speeds of 70mph has gone under the hammer for £70,000.
The classic 1962 Amphicar 770 can also perform on water, where it can chalk up an impressive seven knots in the sea, lakes or rivers.
It also comes complete with life jackets and paddles in the event of an emergency, and automatically locks its doors when it reaches port.
A note on the dashboard reads: “Warning! Before boating.
“Pit bilge plug in, secure front luggage deck, use lower locks to seal doors.”
The motor draws parallels with aquatic car Wet Nellie, which featured in the 1977 James Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me.
With a 1,200cc engine and a bevelled front to make it more streamlined, the car was originally built in West Germany and marketed in the USA from 1961 to 1967.
The elegant vehicle is one of 3,878 ever made, and was nabbed for £2,710 – or £27,550 in today’s money – in the early 1960s.
However, the amphibious motor is touted to sell for way over that when it sells at auction in Phoenix, Arizona, on 25 January.
RM Sotheby’s have given it a guide price of between £55,000 and £70,000.
The auctioneers have dubbed it ‘The car that swims’.
An RM Sotheby’s spokesperson said: “Resembling a crossbreed of a 1957 Thunderbird and a Glasspar ski boat, it was motivated by a rear-mounted Triumph four-cylinder engine that drove the rear wheels.
“On land, the Amphicar drove like any other small European automobile of the day.
“Upon reaching a boat ramp, the doors’ special watertight seals were locked into place, the front luggage lid was locked, and the car was driven slowly into the water.
“A lever then directed the engine’s power to dual rear propellers, and off the Amphicar went.
“The ‘captain’ would steer the craft using the front wheels, which served as rudders.
“Putting the car into reverse while in the water would spin the propellers in reverse, serving as a brake, much as on conventional boats.
“For returning to shore, both the rear-wheel-drive and the propeller drive could be operated at the same time.”
