Ne The Spy Who Loved Me., James Bond sported an incredible underwater Lotus Esprit, a vehicle that was as incredible as it was nonexistent, unlike the new H1 Panther, a less elegant, but decidedly more tangible Amphibious Humvee. Indeed, the American company WaterCar has succeeded in the feat of making the world-famous Humvee amphibious, combining its excellent off-road qualities with the ability to transform into a gliding vehicle. And the performance achieved is absolutely enviable.
H1 Panther – Humvee
For fans of the star-studded market and sobriety, in fact, comes this little wonder on the water, capable not only of tackling highways and off-roads in 4×4, but also of gliding at 35 knots. Sarcasm and jokes aside, WaterCar ‘s H1 Panther is an objectively fascinating and brilliantly designed product by building from scratch on disassembled Humvees.
H1 Panther – Features
A military vehicle par excellence, or perhaps anointed as such by Hollywood, the Humvee is nonetheless an all-terrain with undeniable qualities that has been serving various agencies for well over three decades. Virtually unstoppable and capable of fording particularly deep water, it was clearly an ideal as well as iconic starting point for WaterCar, the brand that produced its amphibious cousin the H1 Panther.
Starting with completely disassembled Humvees, the U.S. brand replaces most of the components originally made of heavy steels or cast iron with lighter stainless steel. In a job that altogether requires more than 2,000 hours of intensive work, the entire complex is then sealed by an epoxy coating, and installed on the company’s designed hulls. Of course, the excavations themselves meet the highest quality standards and are made of 6061 aluminum, aircraft quality.
Propulsion, a key component, is provided by two separate components, a 395-horsepower Chevrolet LS3 Engine, and a Mercury Bravo 2 Outdrive that, taken together, produce over 35 knots of speed on the water for over 96 miles (83 mn) of range. The land-water transition takes only 20 seconds, while 6 seconds run between displacement-stationary to planing phase. Finally, a not insignificant detail, there are, of course, several Humvee models available to convert with.
In short, if you wanted to skip the line to catch the ferry next summer, and if you had at least $465,000 and change left over for gas, perhaps the H1 Panther is the vehicle for you. If instead you just wanted to learn more about it, or see it in action in a couple of videos, here is the link to the manufacturer’s site:
www.h1panther.com
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