1966 Amphicar
December 18th, 2008 | Published in automotive | 2 Comments
On June 15, 1965, this Amphicar was one of three to make the first ride down the Yukon river with two other Amphicars, led by two nature photographers/rockhounds, one video documentary maker, and the Alaska Amphicar dealer from Anchorage.
They drove over the Glenn Highway, then down the Alaskan Highway to the junction of the Taylor Highway, up it to Eagle, put the Amphicars in the Yukon River, and came out at Circle, AK.
A total distance of 165 miles.
The plan was for them to take this historic path, being the first car to "drive" down the Yukon River, and to sell the video reel for promotional use to the Amphicar corporate offices, but Amphicar ended up going bankrupt and nothing came of their trip.
And yes… there are two propellers in the back.
May 14th, 2009at 12:47 pm(#)
My parents, Ed and Dolores Borrecco were in one of the other cars mentioned in your article. They drove a white Amphicar (from Anchorage,Alaska) which they drove down the Yukon River on two more occasions putting on many more miles. Their Amphicar enjoyed many trips in lakes,rivers and bays in Alaska and in Canada. The old movies my Father took of their journey on the Yukon River even shows one of the cars receiving mechanical repair while floating on the Yukon River. There was one day during their trip that they actually put some miles on the odometer when the wheels touched the river bed during low water. They finally had to give up their journeys in the Amphicar in the early 1990′s when it was sold to a man in Western, Washington who is still enjoying its use. Maggie Borrecco
May 14th, 2009at 2:00 pm(#)
Maggie,
Thank you so much for your additional input!
Sounds fascinating. I am emailing you with some questions, hopefully you don’t mind!