World’s fastest water car debuts

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World’s fastest water car debuts

The world’s fastest Jeep-style amphibious car has been designed. The vehicle made by a California, United States-based motor company, Panther, can be driven straight from the land into the water and goes from a car to a boat in just 15 seconds.The vehicle named after its maker, the Panther, can reach water speeds of up to 45mph, almost as fast as an average speedboat and is fitted with a custom-made 3.7 litre V6 engine, fibreglass hull and lightweight chromoly steel chassis. It is also capable of reaching speeds of 80mph on land. James Bond, played by Sir Roger Moore, famously drove an amphibious Lotus Esprit from the land into the sea during the 1976 film, The Spy Who Loved Me. According to the maker, water car partner, 66-year-old Fred Selby, from Newport Beach, California, spent 11 years fine-tuning the machine before he felt ready to put it on the market. The Panther’s design is based on a Jeep CJ8 Scrambler, while its lightweight chassis is made of chromoly steel, designed to slip into a fibreglass hull similar to those used on Formula 1 cars.  Once in the water, the Panther is remarkably stable for a boat that is only 15 ft (4.6 m) in length.

 

The hull is also filled with closed-cell styrofoam to help the car stay afloat.   The engine for the Panther is the latest-generation Acura 3.7-liter VTEC V-6 engine, custom-fitted with aluminium parts, an overhead camshaft cylinder head and 24 valves.  Both intake and exhaust valves are controlled by Acura’s Variable valve Timing and lift Electronic Control (VTEC) system.

This engine produces 305 horsepower at 6,300 rpm and on land the Panther can reach speeds of around 80mph. It needs to be travelling at around 15mph to enter the water and can then reach top speeds of almost 45mph. To drive the Panther in water, the driver must put the four-speed gear changer in neutral, pull a knob to switch the transfer case to ‘jet drive’, hydraulically lift the wheels and tyres out of the water, and start boating. This entire process, according to its maker takes less than 15 seconds. The Panther price starts at £49,800 ($76,000) for a “Rolling chassis,” £70,000 ($106,000) for a “Turn-key minus” version, and £89,000 ($135,000) for a complete Panther.

 Source: http://tribune.com.ng/news2013/en/component/k2/item/16541-world%E2%80%99s-fastest-water-car-debuts.html

  • Written by  Seyi Gesinde 

 

 

 

Read 2541 times Last modified on Wednesday, 02 September 2015 15:14
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Written By:

Joesef Karim

Joesef Karim is the publisher and editor-in-chief of Nigeria Travel Digest - an online magazine that started in September 2012. 

Joesef Karim is a graduate of Tourism Management and has an MBA in Marketing. Mr. Karim is an Africa travel specialist and a tourism business consultant. He has been a leading Nigeria tourism stakeholder for over two decades, and is on the Board of some travel and tourism companies in Nigeria.

Joesef is a certified advertising practitioner (APCON) in Nigeria, whose specialty include strategy conceptualization, communication planning, advert scripting, copy writing, and media buying management. 

In April 2013, Joesef authored a book: "Travel & Tour Operations in Nigeria". The book has since been adopted as a course material by some tourism departments in Polytechnics and Universities across Nigeria. Additionally, every quarter, he provides hands-on trainings on 'Tour Packaging & Sales Strategy' for travel agencies in Nigeria. 

Presently, Joesef is the Public Relations Officer of the Federation of Tourism Associations of Nigeria (FTAN) - the umbrella body of the organized private sector in Nigeria's tourism and hospitality industry. 



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