An amphibious automobile is an automobile that is a means of transport viable on land as well as on or under water. They are unarmored for civilian use.
53-521: The Amphicar Model 770 is an amphibious automobile which was launched at the 1961 New York Auto Show . It was made in West Germany and marketed from 1961 to 1968, with production ceasing in 1965. Designed by Hans Trippel , the amphibious vehicle was manufactured by the Quandt Group at Lübeck and at Berlin-Borsigwalde , with a total of 3,878 manufactured in a single generation. The name Amphicar
106-401: A subarctic climate ( Köppen climate classification : Dsc ), with significantly higher continentality (greater temperature swings) than the territory capital of Whitehorse . Despite this classification, most precipitation actually occurs during summer and July is the wettest month. However, April, one of the six warmer months is sufficiently drier than October and November. Hence the letter 's'
159-496: A National Historic Site encompassing the historic core of the town. The Downtown Hotel at Second Avenue and Queen Street has garnered media attention for its unusual Sourtoe Cocktail , which features a real mummified human toe. The hotel and the toe received increased attention in June 2017 after the toe was stolen; it was soon returned to the hotel by mail along with a written apology. Bonanza Creek has two National Historic Sites;
212-608: A base for moose -hunting on the Klondike Valley. The current settlement was founded by Joseph Ladue and named in January 1897 after noted Canadian geologist George M. Dawson , who had explored and mapped the region in 1887. It served as Yukon's capital from the territory's founding in 1898 until 1952, when the seat was moved to Whitehorse . Dawson City was the centre of the Klondike Gold Rush . It began in 1896 and changed
265-640: A lamp at another girl in an argument), 1899 (started in the Bodega Saloon), 1900 (started at the Monte Carlo Theatre) and flooding in 1925, 1944, 1966, 1969 and 1979. The population dropped after World War II when the Alaska Highway bypassed it 518 kilometres (322 mi) to the south. The economic damage to Dawson City was such that Whitehorse , the highway's hub, replaced it as territorial capital in 1953. Dawson City's population languished around
318-448: A population density of 51.0/km (132.1/sq mi) in 2021. According to the 2021 Census, the town is predominately European Canadian with 60.8% of the population with Indigenous Canadians accounting for 31.4% of the population and East Asian Canadians accounting for 3.0% of the population. Today, Dawson City's main industries are tourism and gold mining . Electricity is provided by Yukon Energy Corporation (YEC). Most of
371-561: A shift in the region, drawing the interest of the major gold mining companies in the Yukon. In 2017, Newmont Mining Corporation , Barrick Gold and Agnico Eagle Mines Limited have all committed significant investment, engaging in the exploration of properties across the Central Yukon. There are eight National Historic Sites of Canada located in Dawson, including the "Dawson Historical Complex",
424-636: Is a portmanteau of "amphibious" and "car." A spiritual descendant of the Volkswagen Schwimmwagen , and the Trippel SG6 , the Amphicar offered only modest performance compared to most contemporary boats or cars, featured navigation lights and flag as mandated by the US Coast Guard – and after operation in water, required greasing at 13 points, one of which required removal of the rear seat. In 2014,
477-687: Is attended by various high schools across Yukon. The city was home to the Dawson City Nuggets hockey team, which in 1905 challenged the Ottawa Silver Seven for the Stanley Cup . Travelling to Ottawa by dog sled , ship, and train, the team lost the most lopsided series in Stanley Cup history, losing two games by the combined score of 32 to 4. In 2004, the Yukon government removed the mayor and
530-420: Is built on a layer of frozen earth, which may pose a threat to the town's infrastructure in the future if the permafrost melts. In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada , Dawson had a population of 1,577 living in 770 of its 836 total private dwellings, a change of 14.7% from its 2016 population of 1,375 . With a land area of 30.91 km (11.93 sq mi), it had
583-450: Is capable of traversing swamps, ponds and streams as well as dry land. On land these units have high grip and great off-road ability, that can be further enhanced with an optional set of tracks that can be mounted directly onto the wheels. Although the spinning action of the tires is enough to propel the vehicle through the water – albeit slowly – outboard motors can be added for extended water use. In October 2013, Gibbs Amphibians introduced
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#1732854685400636-653: Is now simply the "City of Dawson". The Yukon River is navigable (when not frozen) and historically was travelled by commercial riverboats to Whitehorse and downstream into Alaska and the Bering Sea . Yukon School of Visual Arts , a university level accredited art program, is based in Dawson City. Robert Service School, Dawson City's only grade school, is named in honour of British-Canadian poet and writer Robert William Service (January 16, 1874 – September 11, 1958). The Robert Service School offers Kindergarten – Grade 12 and
689-489: Is open as a National Historic Site of Canada on Bonanza Creek. The last dredge shut down in 1966, and the hydroelectric facility, at North Fork, was closed when the City of Dawson declined an offer to purchase it. Since then, placer miners returned to the status of being the primary mining operators in the region until recently. In 2016, Goldcorp announced a takeover of Kaminak Gold's Coffee Project south of Dawson. This marked
742-420: Is slightly pointed and sharply cut away below. The wheels are set low, so that the vehicle stands well above ground level when on dry land. Front and rear bumpers are placed low on the body panels (but fairly high in relation to dry ground). The one-piece windshield is curved. The foldable top causes the body style to be classified as cabriolet . Its water propulsion is provided by twin propellers mounted under
795-590: Is used instead of 'f' (as in Dfc ). The average temperature in July is 15.7 °C (60.3 °F) and in January is −26.0 °C (−14.8 °F). The highest temperature ever recorded is 35.0 °C (95 °F) on 9 July 1899 and 18 June 1950. The lowest temperature ever recorded is −58.3 °C (−73 °F) on 3 February 1947. It experiences a wide range of temperatures surpassing 30 °C (86 °F) in most summers and dropping below −40 °C (−40 °F) in winter. In
848-571: The Bonanza (Rabbit) Creek discovery by George Carmack , Dawson Charlie and Skookum Jim Mason (Keish) . The area's creeks were quickly staked and most of the thousands who arrived in the spring of 1898 for the Klondike Gold Rush found that there was very little opportunity to benefit directly from gold mining. Many instead became entrepreneurs to provide services to miners. Starting approximately 10 years later, large gold dredges began an industrial mining operation, scooping huge amounts of gold out of
901-762: The Discovery Claim and the Dredge No. 4 . Tr'ochëk is the site of a traditional Hän fishing camp on the flats at the confluence of the Klondike River and Yukon River . The site is owned and managed by the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in First Nation . In addition to the fishing camp remains, the site includes traditional plant harvesting areas and lookout points. Diamond Tooth Gertie's Gambling Hall puts on nightly vaudeville shows during tourist season, from May to September. Every February, Dawson City acts as
954-547: The First Nations camp into a thriving city of 16,000–17,000 by 1898. By 1899, the gold rush had ended and the town's population plummeted as all but 8,000 people left. When Dawson was incorporated as a city in 1902, the population was under 5,000. St. Paul's Anglican Church , also built that same year, is a National Historic Site. The downtown was devastated by fire in November 1897 (started when dance hall girl Dolly Mitchell threw
1007-544: The Legislative Assembly of Yukon , Dawson City is in the electoral district of Klondike , currently represented by Sandy Silver of the Yukon Liberal Party . The government of Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in , now a self-governing First Nation , is also located in Dawson. In 2024, councillors refused to swear allegiance to King Charles III , in solidarity with councillor-elect Darwyn Lynn, who refused in protest against
1060-579: The Triumph Spitfire until 1980. The Amphicar engine had a power output of 43 hp (32 kW) at 4750 rpm , slightly more than the Triumph Herald due to a shorter exhaust. Designated the "Model 770", the Amphicar could achieve speeds of 7 knots in the water and 70 mph (110 km/h) on land. Later versions of the engine displaced 1296 cc and 1493 cc and produced up to 75 bhp (56 kW). In water as well as on land,
1113-631: The Willys MB jeep, the Ford GPA or 'Seep' (short for Sea jeep ) was developed during World War II as well. A specially modified GPA, called Half-Safe , was driven and sailed around the world by Australian Ben Carlin in the 1950s. One of the most capable post-war amphibious off-roaders was the German Amphi-Ranger [ de ] , that featured a hull made of seawater-resistant AlMg2 aluminium alloy. Extensively engineered, this costly vehicle
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#17328546854001166-591: The late modern period the area was used for hunting and gathering by the Hän-speaking people of the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in and their forebears. The heart of their homeland was Tr'ochëk , a fishing camp at the confluence of the Klondike River and Yukon River , now a National Historic Site of Canada , just across the Klondike River from modern Dawson City. This site was also an important summer gathering spot and
1219-500: The 600–900 mark through the 1960s and 1970s, but has risen and held stable since then. The high price of gold has made modern placer mining operations profitable, and the growth of the tourism industry has encouraged development of facilities. In the early 1950s, Dawson was linked by road to Alaska, and in fall 1955, with Whitehorse along a road that now forms part of the Klondike Highway . In 1978, another kind of buried treasure
1272-572: The Amphicar is steered with the front wheels, making it less maneuverable than a conventional boat. In June, 1965, two Amphicars successfully navigated the Yukon River in Alaska. In September, 1965, two Amphicars crossed the English Channel In August, 1967, four Amphicars participated in the 1967 Yukon River Flotilla a joint Alaska - Yukon Centennial project commemorating the memory of
1325-473: The Amphicars were all Americans from Alaska. On August 16, the flotilla, including the Amphicars, made it to Dawson City where Discovery Day celebrations were in full swing.” US President Lyndon B. Johnson owned an Amphicar. Johnson, a known practical joker, was said to enjoy frightening visitors at his Johnson City, Texas, ranch by driving them downhill in his Amphicar, directly into his property's lake, all
1378-619: The Quadski, the first amphibious vehicle capable of traveling 45 mph or 72 km/h on land or water. The Quadski was developed using Gibbs' High Speed Amphibian technology, which Gibbs originally developed for the Aquada, an amphibious car, which the company has still not produced because of regulatory issues. Amphibious automobiles have been conceived from ca. 1900, however the Second World War significantly stimulated their development. Two of
1431-525: The TV movie All the Way (2016). In a fifth-season episode of The Simpsons , an antique filmstrip touts Springfield's famous "aqua-car" factory, showing Amphicars rolling off an assembly line and into the water. Production started in late 1960. By the end of 1963, complete production was stopped. From 1963 to 1965 cars were assembled from shells and parts inventory built up in anticipation of sales of 25,000 units, with
1484-664: The Wild . London lived in the Dawson area from October 1897 to June 1898. Other writers who lived in and wrote of Dawson City include Pierre Berton and the poet Robert Service . The childhood home of the former is now used as a residency and retreat for professional writers administered by the Writers' Trust of Canada . In 2023, the Dawson City townsite became part of the Tr’ondëk-Klondike UNESCO World Heritage Site , because of its archaeological record highlighting
1537-434: The creeks, and completely reworking the landscape, altering the locations of rivers and creeks and leaving tailing piles in their wake. A network of canals and dams were built to the north to produce hydroelectric power for the dredges. The dredges shut down for the winter, but one built for "Klondike Joe Boyle" was designed to operate year-round, and Boyle had it operate all through one winter. That dredge ( Dredge No. 4 )
1590-610: The early 2000s after it was developed by a team assembled by founder Alan Gibbs before the company's engine supplier, Rover, was unable to continue providing engines. Gibbs and new partner Neil Jenkins reconstituted the company and are now seeking U.S. regulatory approval for the Aquada Other amphibious cars include the US Hydra Spyder and the Spira4u . Not all were successful with the 1979 Herzog Conte Schwimmwagen failing to get past
1643-467: The four council seats. Steins was succeeded in office by former mayor Peter Jenkins , who in turn was succeeded by Wayne Potoroka. In 2021, four candidates ran for mayor, and former city councillor William (Bill) Kendrick won the election and is the current mayor of Dawson City. Other past mayors of Dawson City have included Art Webster , Colin Mayes , Yolanda Burkhard , Mike Comadina and Vi Campbell. In
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1696-425: The grid power is hydroelectric power through the north-south grid from dams near Mayo , Whitehorse and Aishihik Lake . After the local hydroelectric power plant for the gold dredges was shut down in 1966, YEC provided electrical power from local diesel generators . In 2004 YEC connected Dawson to its grid system. Since then the diesel generators function as a backup to the grid. Gold mining started in 1896 with
1749-500: The halfway mark for the Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race. Mushers entered in the event have a mandatory 36-hour layover in Dawson City while getting their rest and preparing for the second half of the world's toughest sled dog race. Dawson City also hosts a softball tournament which brings teams from Inuvik in late summer. Furthermore, a volleyball tournament is held annually at the end of October and
1802-492: The historic relations between the monarchy and the First Nations. Dawson was incorporated as a city in 1902 when it met the criteria for "city" status under the municipal act of that time. It retained the incorporation even as the population plummeted. When a new municipal act was adopted in the 1980s, Dawson met the criteria of "town", and was incorporated as such although with a special provision to allow it to continue to use
1855-428: The historical find was moved by military transport to Library and Archives Canada and the U.S. Library of Congress for both transfer to safety film and storage. A documentary about the find, Dawson City: Frozen Time , was released in 2016. The City of Dawson and the nearby ghost town of Forty Mile are featured prominently in the novels and short stories of American author Jack London , including The Call of
1908-545: The largest of which is held at Grand Lake St. Marys State Park, Ohio . In 2015, the Boathouse at Walt Disney World 's Disney Springs in Orlando, Florida , began offering public Amphicar rides to visitors, charging $ 125 per ride for groups of up to three. Disney heavily re-engineered and enhanced the eight Amphicars of various original colors in its fleet for safety, reliability, and comfort. Amphibious automobile Amongst
1961-498: The last new build units assembled in 1965. Cars were titled in the year they actually sold rather than when they were produced, e.g. an unsold Amphicar assembled in 1963 or 1965 could be titled as 1967 or 1968 if that was when it was first sold. Although the inventory could not be sold in the U.S. in the 1968 model year or later due to new environmental and USDOT emissions and safety equipment standards, they were available in other countries into 1968. The remaining inventory of unused parts
2014-695: The most significant amphibious cars to date were developed during World War II. The most proliferous was the German Schwimmwagen , a small jeep-like 4x4 vehicle designed by the Porsche engineering firm in 1942 and widely used in World War II . The amphibious bodywork was designed by Erwin Komenda , the firm's body construction designer, using the engine and drive train of the Kübelwagen . An amphibious version of
2067-568: The propellers when approaching a boat ramp, the Amphicar could drive itself out of the water. The powerplant was the 1147 cc (69 in³) Standard SC engine from the British Triumph Herald 1200 . Many engines were tried in prototypes, but the Triumph engine was "state of the art" in 1961 and it had the necessary combination of performance, weight, cool running, and reliability. Updated versions of this engine remained in production in
2120-511: The prototype and into production. [REDACTED] Media related to Amphibious cars at Wikimedia Commons Dawson City Dawson City , officially the City of Dawson , is a town in the Canadian territory of Yukon . It is inseparably linked to the Klondike Gold Rush (1896–1899). Its population was 1,577 as of the 2021 census , making it the second-largest municipality in Yukon. Prior to
2173-425: The publication Petrolicious described the Amphicar as "good for one thing: fun. It’s not quick or flashy, but it’s iconic, unique and friendly. What more could you ask from a vintage car? The Amphicar might not make any sense and that’s precisely why it’s so wonderful." Engine : Triumph four-cylinder engine of 1147 cc, 8:1 compression ratio, rated at 43 bhp Chassis/body Appearance Front undersurface
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2226-445: The rear bumper. The Amphicar is made of mild steel . The Amphicar's engine was mounted at the rear of the craft, driving the rear wheels through a 4-speed manual transmission. For use in the water, the same engine drove a pair of reversible propellers at the rear, with a second gear lever engaging forward or reverse drive. Once in the water, the main gear lever would normally be left in neutral. By engaging first gear as well as drive to
2279-474: The rugged Klondike gold-seekers who sailed down the Yukon River in 1898. Lea Edgar wrote in BC Shipping News , October 2018: “One more local story regarding the Amphicar is that of the 1967 Yukon River Flotilla. A 10-day, 460-mile trip from Whitehorse down river to Dawson City was planned as a joint Alaska-Yukon Centennial project. Fifty-four craft were used, of those, four were Amphicars. The owners of
2332-499: The smallest non air-cushioned amphibious vehicles are amphibious ATVs (all-terrain vehicles). These saw significant popularity in North America during the 1960s and early 1970s. Typically an amphibious ATV (AATV) is a small, lightweight, off-highway vehicle, constructed from an integral hard plastic or fibreglass bodytub, fitted with six (sometimes eight) driven wheels, with low pressure, balloon tires. With no suspension (other than what
2385-461: The tires offer) and no steering wheels, directional control is accomplished through skid-steering – just as on a tracked vehicle – either by braking the wheels on the side where you want to turn, or by applying more throttle to the wheels on the opposite side. Most contemporary designs use garden tractor type engines, that will provide roughly 25 mph or 40 km/h top speed on land. Constructed this way, an AATV will float with ample freeboard and
2438-496: The town council, as a result of the town going bankrupt. The territorial government accepted a large portion of the responsibility for this situation in March 2006, writing off $ 3.43 million of the debt and leaving the town with $ 1.5 million still to pay off. Elections were set for June 15, 2006. John Steins, a local artist and one of the leaders of the movement to restore democracy to Dawson, was acclaimed as mayor, while 13 residents ran for
2491-596: The transformation of the site from predominanty Indigenous to predominantly European use, and the adaptations that the Indigenous people made in response to European colonialism. Dawson City lies on the Tintina Fault . This fault has created the Tintina Trench and continues eastward for several hundred kilometres. Erosional remnants of lava flows form outcrops immediately north and west of Dawson City. Dawson City has
2544-474: The very cold month of December 1917, the temperature did not rise above −37.2 °C (−35 °F) and it averaged −46.3 °C (−51 °F). The community is at an elevation of 320 m (1,050 ft) and the average rainfall in July is 49.0 mm (1.93 in) and the average snowfall in January is 27.6 cm (10.87 in). Dawson has an average total annual snowfall of 166.5 cm (65.55 in) and averages 70 frost free days per year. The town
2597-446: The while shouting that he had malfunctioning brakes. Amphicars appear in the films Rotten to the Core (1965), The Sandwich Man (1966), The President's Analyst (1967), Inspector Clouseau (1968), The Laughing Woman (1969), Savannah Smiles (1982), and Pontiac Moon (1994), and in episode five of season four of The Avengers ("Castle De'ath", 1965). It also appears in
2650-460: The word "City", partially for historical reasons and partially to distinguish it from Dawson Creek , a small city in northeastern British Columbia . Dawson Creek is also named in honour of George M. Dawson. This led the territorial government to post the following signs at the boundaries of the town: "Welcome to the Town of the City of Dawson". As of the 2001 Municipal Act , the town's official legal name
2703-533: Was discovered with the Dawson Film Find when a construction excavation inadvertently uncovered a forgotten collection of more than 500 discarded films on highly flammable nitrate film stock from the early 20th century that were buried in (and preserved by) the permafrost . These silent-era film reels, dating from "between 1903 and 1929, were uncovered in the rubble beneath [an] old hockey rink". (See Dawson Film Find .) Owing to its dangerous chemical volatility,
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#17328546854002756-622: Was eventually purchased by Hugh Gordon of Santa Fe Springs, California. Most Amphicars were sold in the United States. Cars were sold in the United Kingdom from 1964. Total production was 3,878 vehicles, of which only 97 were right-hand drive. Some were used in the Berlin police department and others were fitted for rescue operations. Amphicar owners regularly convene during the spring, summer, and fall at various locations nationwide for "swim-ins",
2809-648: Was proven seaworthy at a Gale force 10 storm off the North Sea coast (Pohl, 1998). Only about 100 were built – those who own one have found it capable of crossing the English Channel almost effortlessly. Purely recreational amphibian cars include the 1960s Amphicar and the contemporary Gibbs Aquada . With almost 4,000 pieces built, the Amphicar is still the most successfully produced civilian amphibious car to date. The Gibbs Aquada stands out due to its capability of high speed planing on water. Gibbs built fifty Aquadas in
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