WaterCar Panther, the amphibious off-road vehicle sets sail

Ever fancied an off-road vehicle that can transform into a boat in less than 15 seconds? Of course you have. And now you can actually buy one, as amphibious vehicle manufacturer WaterCar presents the Panther--a Jeep based off-roader that can swim.

Amphibious vehicles are hardly a new idea; the original stems back to 1961 with the German-built Amphicar that sold an estimated 3,872 vehicles before the company eventually went under (excuse the pun). Others, too, have arrived, including the Gibbs Aquada that Sir Richard Branson piloted to set the record for the fastest crossing of the English Channel by an amphibious vehicle back in 2004. Gibbs are now rushing to see its Sport Quadski vehicle make production by the end of the year.

But for Californian company WaterCar, the day that consumers can actually buy a reliable amphibious vehicle is already here. It took 14 years to turn the idea of a purchasable product into reality. Back in 2010, the company entered the Guinness World Record Books as the fastest amphibious car with its Python model, but making the Panther a car that could comfortably handle activities on road as well as on water, while maintaining a machine that's serviceable by most skilled auto/marine mechanics, was a painstaking process.