The Amphicat is a six-wheel-drive, skid steer

amphibious all-terrain vehicle An amphibious all-terrain vehicle, amphibious ATV, (or AATV) is a small, all-wheel drive, all-terrain amphibious vehicle, used for recreation, farm-, hunting, utility or industry tasks, by enthusiasts and professionals worldwide. They are legall ...

invented in Spain by José Artés de Arcos, manufactured in the late 1960s through the early 1970s by Mobility Unlimited Inc. of

Auburn Hills, Michigan Auburn Hills is a city in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 21,412 at the 2010 census. Before incorporating as a city in 1983, the area was part of the now-defunct Pontiac Township. It is home to Oakland University ...

. The product line was purchased by Magna American (a division of Magna Corporation) which produced the vehicle in

Raymond, Mississippi Raymond is a city in Hinds County, Mississippi, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 1,933; in 2020, its population was 1,960. Raymond is one of two county seats of Hinds County (along with Jackson) and is the home of the ...

for several years. The vehicle was also made in Canada by Behoo Industries and differed slightly from its American counterpart, mostly on the transom.banana-split-1969-amphicat
/ref> The Canadian version of the Amphicat was featured as the moon buggy used by Moonbase Alpha personnel in the television series '' Space: 1999'' and the US version as the Banana Splits' cars in the TV show ''

Banana Splits ''The Banana Splits'' is an American television variety show produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions and featuring the Banana Splits, a fictional rock band composed of four costumed animal characters in red marching band hats with yellow plumes. ...

''. It also appeared in the TV series ''

Lancelot Link, Secret Chimp ''Lancelot Link, Secret Chimp'' is an American action/adventure comedy series that originally aired Saturday mornings on ABC from September 12, 1970 to January 2, 1971 and rebroadcast the following season. The live-action film series featured a ...

'' and in an episode of ''

Blake's 7 ''Blake's 7'' (sometimes styled ''Blakes7'') is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. Four 13-episode series were broadcast on BBC1 between 1978 and 1981. It was created by Terry Nation, who also wrote the first ...

''.ATV World October 1970
/ref>

Technical details

* Body: Vacuum-formed ''Marbon Cycolac'' ABS

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* Engine: 16 hp (12 kW) air-cooled 2-cycle

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gasoline engine A petrol engine (gasoline engine in American English) is an internal combustion engine designed to run on petrol (gasoline). Petrol engines can often be adapted to also run on fuels such as liquefied petroleum gas and ethanol blends (such as ''E ...

* Transmission – Ontario Drive & Gear Limited (ODG) manufactured a special transmission capable of forward and reverse for the Amphicat. ODG would use this experience to introduce their own

Argo ATV Argo is a Canadian manufacturer of amphibious all-terrain vehicles. It was founded in 1962 as Ontario Drive and Gear (ODG) Limited, in Kitchener, Ontario and was later moved to New Hamburg, Ontario. Argo offers 6×6 and 8×8 amphibious extreme ...

s. * Clutches – automatic

torque converter A torque converter is a type of fluid coupling that transfers rotating power from a prime mover, like an internal combustion engine, to a rotating driven load. In a vehicle with an automatic transmission, the torque converter connects the power ...

for driving, disc-type for steering * Brakes – band type on drum * Tires – specially designed 11.5x20 Amphicat

tubeless tires Tubeless tires ( also spelled as tubeless tyres in Commonwealth English) are pneumatic tires that do not require a separate inner tube. Unlike pneumatic tires which use a separate inner tube, tubeless tires have continuous ribs molded integral ...

References

{{reflist

External links

Amphicat 6x6 ATV infoUTV Accessories & Parts
ATVs Six-wheeled vehicles Wheeled amphibious vehicles