A very unusual lot has popped up on the international auction site, eBay Motors, this week, it is a unique amphibious car that is based around the chassis and engine of the historic Fiat 850 and is still powered by the original car’s 900cc petrol engine and 4-speed transmission.

A work of dedication, the amphibious car reputedly took twenty five years to complete and more than seven thousand man hours were committed to the project according to the information posted on the eBay Motors website, and it is now being offered at auction without reserve by the second owner.

The designer built the unusual amphibious car around the chassis and mechanicals of a now 34-year-old Fiat 850, a small rear engined car based on the then 600 model that was built by Fiat for almost a decade from the mid 1960s, by stripping off the panels and replacing them with a new water-capable body that was made entirely out of aluminium, pressed, cut and riveted and bolted to the steel frame, and thus less likely to rust that the original steel panels. The original 900cc engine and 4-speed manual gearbox have were retained by the designer with a Berkley jet engine being fitted to the crank via a clutch drive mechanism.

According to the details on eBay Motors, the wheels retract into the wheel wells when the red-painted car takes to the water and it is complete with all the componentry needed for land or water use, such as the turn signal indicators, a comprehensive dashboard and full boat navigation lighting. The vendor, who the second owner of the amphibious craft, says that he has recently had the carburettor rebuilt, overhauled the brakes and fitted a new clutch, however although it has been shown it hasn’t been on the water for several years which always asks the question why. With 4 days to go in the auction without reserve it has achieved 31 bids with the highest being US$7,600.

ItaliaspeedTV - Fiat 850 based amphibious car