Eureka amphibious car makes it for Britain.

Ever one to promote British engineering and achievements, Sir Richard used Monday June 14th to steer the world beating car cum boat from Dover to Calais in one hour and 40 minutes, setting a new cross-Channel record for an amphibious vehicle. Appropriately dressed in a dinner jacket and bow tie, he crossed a finish line on the promenade at Calais to be greeted by the town's mayor. Conditions in the Channel slight seas and light winds, although Sir Richard was forced occasionally to use the windscreen wipers to remove sea spray that impaired his view. "A couple of waves caused by some ferries went straight over the top of us but otherwise it went really well," he said. "It is a great beast. It drives fantastically well on land and then it turns into the most remarkable boat on water." The previous fastest amphibious crossing had been made in the 1960s by two Frenchmen, whose six-hour trip in an "Amphicar" wrested the record of seven hours and 33 minutes from Englishman Ben Carlin. As explained in Dean Palmer's original Eureka story, The main chassis is made from carbon and fibre glass composites, structurally glued to an aluminium plane. Unladen, the vehicle weighs 1,400kg. It seats three people and the driver drives from the centre position." The design problems that Gibbs chairman Alan Gibbs had to overcome with his managing director , Neil Jenkins, were enormous. As well as reducing the weight of the vehicle, the wheels and suspension system had to be quickly moved out of the way as the vehicle enters water. Gibbs explained to Eureka, "The car wheels actually fold up and the exhaust pipework had to be re-designed so that it didn't drag. We gave the vehicle a boat-shaped hull and a very sophisticated computer-controlled suspension system (which has seven patents). It works hydro-pneumatically and all Gibbs would say to Eureka is that it "has a variable height via a special 'high-ride' setting which raises the suspension by an extra three inches." According to Gibbs, the really clever thing about the suspension is the way it incorporates a bump stop in the body of the suspension frame. The bump stop prevents the suspension travelling further than its limits. There's also a rather unique system for preventing the vehicle turning into water mode when on the land, and vice versa. Double sensors and electromagnetic interlocks prevent undesired wheel raising on the road or lowering whilst in the water. The gearbox on the Aquada is four-speed automatic with reverse and the car has a 67-litre fuel tank for unleaded fuel. The vehicle is front ventilated with all-round brake discs. The Aquada can enter the water by any gradual descent, via boat ramps or directly into the sea from the shore. It has an automatic gearshift on land and the accelerator is used as the throttle in the water. The limited edition 'Bond' launch model, a three-seater with a central driver position, has a £150,000 price tag, although the price of a standard vehicle is a more modest £75,000. The vehicle is fully legal for both road and water use. It is registered as a passenger car vehicle and a Category D craft as defined by the European Recreational Craft Directive. A standard driving license is all that's required in the UK for both road and water use. An MOT certificate is required every year from the vehicle's third birthday. TS