A man spent 90,000 yuan to build his own amphibious vehicle. This photo was taken by Wang Yixuan, a reporter for our newspaper.
According to the news (reported by Chen Ting), a strange vehicle that looks like neither a car nor a boat has left passers-by puzzled: Can this thing actually move? The owner, Ma Yongsheng, gave an affirmative answer; it is an amphibious vehicle he built himself over three months, and it has already been tested in water. The only step remaining is painting.
This large contraption is about 10 meters long and weighs less than two tons. The steering wheel and the sole seat are located directly in front, while the engine is placed right in the middle of the body. The tail resembles more of a ship's stern, equipped with a propeller underneath. The steering wheel shows exposed cotton padding, and the seat has several tears.
"All parts are used," said the owner Ma Yongsheng. The steering wheel, seat, and engine all come from a scrapped Jinbei vehicle, while the four wheels belong to a Cherokee. Even so, the cost of building this vehicle still amounted to 90,000 yuan, with many parts having to be made elsewhere. "But the speed is acceptable; it can reach up to 100 kilometers per hour on the road, but only 30 kilometers per hour in water." Ma Yongsheng showed photos of the vehicle traveling in water, explaining that it had been tested three times in water, with ongoing adjustments to some small designs. For example, at the beginning, in order to increase speed in water, small propellers were installed on the rear wheels, but due to poor results, they were removed.
Since this amphibious vehicle cannot be registered for a license plate, theoretically it is not allowed on public roads. On the way from Airport Expressway No.2 to the Wenyu River, Ma Yongsheng was extremely anxious, "The surrounding drivers were all stunned, unable to figure out what this thing is." Some foreigners even stopped in front of him on the road to request taking photos with the vehicle.
What can this vehicle be used for? Ma Yongsheng joked, "If it rains and there's flooding one day, I'll drive it to deliver lamb skewers!"