"Sea Lion has a futuristic persona to it with the aluminum chassis protecting the inner mechanism and keeping the dry weight down to a minimum. This is important since moving forward in water has a whole lot of resistance issues, that can consequently take up a lot of power. The Front Wheel Drive car is powered by a 175-horsepower 1.3-liter Mazda rotary engine, and there is a jet-fighter-like stick for the steering input, which makes maneuvering the vehicle a highly tactile experience."
"According to Mecum's auction listing, the front wheels on this thing "suck up into the wheel wells with hydraulic actuation." For powering the underwater mechanism in the amphibious mode, the maker salvaged a Berkeley 12 JC jet drive pump and highly modified it. In its prime, the amphibious vehicle was able to hit 180 mph on land and 45 mph in water."
The Sea Lion is a one-off amphibious car built in 2012 by Mark Witt and SeaRoader Aquatic. The vehicle features retractable side pods for water mode and hydraulic front wheels that tuck into the wheel wells. The aluminum chassis reduces dry weight to mitigate water resistance. The front-wheel-drive car uses a 175-horsepower 1.3-liter Mazda rotary engine and a jet-fighter-like steering stick for tactile handling. A salvaged and heavily modified Berkeley 12 JC jet drive powers water propulsion. Construction cost reached $259,000, peak speeds were about 180 mph on land and 45 mph on water, and the car now needs significant work to restore amphibious function.
Read at Yanko Design - Modern Industrial Design News
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