Trippel Aqua-Terra

The Aqua-Terra was designed by Hans Trippel in 1989, when he was 82. It was his last-but-one amphibian, after a lifetime in which he was credited with influencing or building more than thirty amphibious vehicle types, including the prototypes of the Amphicar. After the Second World War Trippel was jailed for his part in making military amphibians and was barred from building them for some years.

Design

The red Aqua-Terra uses the engine and running gear of an Opel Vectra. It is a fully working amphibian with huge sliding doors and a roomy interior, somewhere between a military-style jeep and a family car. A three-bladed propeller is driven from the point where a four-wheel-drive transfer box would normally sit, so on land only two wheels are driven. The chronology lists a four-wheel-drive Aqua-Terra II with Peugeot parts in 1990. Photographs in the archive show both a red and a blue car.

History

Trippel took the Aqua-Terra to several German shows looking for orders, but it was not developed or polished enough to attract buyers. One account says his cars were often built from sketches rather than detailed drawings, leaving much to the mechanics. On one occasion a friend who had borrowed the red car forgot to fit the bilge plug. The car sank in 7 m of water and lay there for almost two days before divers recovered it. After two days of drying out, it started first time.