Humdinga the ultimate go-anywhere machine

By JULIET ROWAN

A New Zealand entrepreneur who made waves with his amphibious sports car, the Aquada, has gone a step further with the launch of a four-wheel-drive vehicle fit for land and water.

Called the Humdinga, it is also designed for rough, remote terrain.

Alan Gibbs unveiled the 350 brake horsepower, five-seater vehicle at the British Motor Show in Birmingham, England, last night, boasting it could comfortably transport five passengers and luggage or supplies "almost anywhere on the face of the Earth".

Reaching 160km/h on land and 65km/h on water, the Humdinga is 17km/h faster on water than the Aquada, a more commuter-friendly vehicle which was put through its paces on Waitemata Harbour in February.

The Humdinga can accelerate from zero to 100km/h in 9.2 seconds and reach its top speed on water in 10 seconds. The Aquada has maximum speeds of 165km/h on land and 48 km/h on water.

The Humdinga moves from land to water at the touch of a button. The wheels retract and the power switches from the wheels to a jet propulsion system.

Weighing 2000kg, it runs on unleaded petrol. The vehicles share the same High Speed Amphibian (HSA) technological platform developed by Mr Gibbs' British-based company, Gibb Technologies.

"This four-wheel drive HSA demonstrates that the technology is adaptable for a whole range of applications," he said. "It's the ultimate off-road vehicle."

He expected it to appeal to individuals and military users and said it would be particularly useful for rescue services. The Humdinga would not go into production for two or three years, and he would not name a price.

But Mr Gibbs announced at the Humdinga unveiling that the Aquada price would drop to $190,000 from $360,000 and production would increase from 100 units to several hundred.