A man who set about building a racy amphibious car in 2006, has finally finished it and is putting it up for sale.

The futuristic-looking vehicle, which has been built on top of a 174hp Mazda rotary engine, can do 125mph on tarmac and 60mph in water (that’s on top of it like a boat, not under it like a sub).

The Sea Lion, as it has been lovingly named by its creator, is being sold for $259,500 – about £163,355 – and I don’t know how much it will cost to insure.

I can imagine a car insurance company would look at this vehicle and just see ‘very high risk car’ written all over it.  Not only is there a risk that it will crash on the roads, but there’s the added risk of it crashing into a boat or sinking.

Would they still sort out maintenance and pick-up if you were stranded on open water? I’d like to see a road-side repairs company try their hand at some boating.

Nevertheless, I have no doubt that the car has been well built – after all it took six years to make it. 

The creator states, “Building Sea Lion has been an enjoyable exploration. I have provided the basic architecture for the car and resolved every conflicting interaction between car and boat.”

I’d love to have a car-boat, but this model’s a bit too speedy-looking for me. When an amphibious mini or VW camper comes along, I’ll be buying it no matter the cost.

Labels: amphibious car, boat, car insurance, crash, insure, Mazda, mini, road-side repair, rotary engine, Sea Lion, tarmac, vehicle, VW camper, water