Drake amphibious truck

The Drake was a large amphibious truck tested by the US Army in the 1950s. Popular Science covered it in October 1956, describing it as a huge new amphibious truck 24 inches (61 cm) wider than any conventional road vehicle, with a cab so high it gave a view into the second storey of buildings.

A correspondent who served at Fort Story, Virginia, from 1971 to 1973 recalled seeing the derelict hull of a Drake partly buried on the beach among other old amphibious vehicles. It had a fibreglass hull and eight-wheel drive, and the remains of two engines, one mounted horizontally with an unusual distributor set at 90 degrees to the side of the engine.

The archive also holds scans of the Popular Science article, which include pictures of the cooling system, drivetrain, propellers and load space, and official US Army photographs sent by a collector in 2001.