Germany 1932. Hindenburg was elected Chancellor and on the streets of Berlin Nazis were fist fighting with communists. In Darmstadt, a young man with short pants put a sleek formed aluminum body on the chassis of a DKW-F2 (Car that was precursor to BMW).

With a light weight front wheel drive, the 24 year old wanted to compete in a hill race. "That looks like a fish" joked one on the competitors, "Can it Swim?". It can.

Hanns Tripple sealed up where the axle passed through and put a little screw propeller on the front that was connected to the transmission. On a still extension of the Rhein River, the car was lowered into the water by a forklift. It floated. Hanns got lucky

In the town of Erbach in the county of Odenwald, 1999. A senior citizen with corduroy pants and a knitted sweater sits on a thick sofa and works on plans. "The swimming car has a future." Said the 91 year old. "Investors could take my plans for the original SG-641 and start building on the original plans." Naturally with a few modifications.

"Engineer I-Hanns Tripple" is on the sign on the front of the unremarkable house. What exists from the address of the first Amphicars is reduced to memories, awards, old photos and Tripple's dreams.

With those dreams, he has gone swimming many times in the last six decades. He has designed models and built prototypes, a fortune build and spent. He has gone under and came back up - just like a reptile.

Tripple invented the gull wing doors and sold the patent to Mercedes for 5000 marks. Right after that the idea created a furor with the Mercedes SL300. At the start of the 1960s he started production of the legendary Amphicar and watched as the factory went under. At the age of 74, started building the Amphi-Ranger - and allowed himself (according to knowing insiders) to be kicked out by his partners.

He is a genius as an engineer but terrible businessman said a Trippel friend.

Every since he first went into the water with his little DKW, swimming cars have directed his life. Like a man obsessed, he still works on improving his newest plans for his new vehicle that he' calls the Land-Wasser-Zepp (Land Water Air). When the vehicle sunk on a test run because of a defective pump, that night he pulled it out of the eight meter deep water and repaired it. The next morning it was ready for the next start.

In 1933, Tripple built his second swimming car. This time it was based on an Adler (another old, defunct German car company). It had a powerful four-cylinder engine that was supposed to make landing easier.

The Nazis recognized early on the potential of the Amphicar in planned attack war and approached the young man. He felt honored (actually it translates as petted like in a cat). One year later, he accepted a research and development contract with the Military Testing Section of the Ministry of Defense. Germany marched off to wart and Tripple marched with them. From out of a hobby room in a Horse stall in Darmstadt stood, in 1935, the Tripple Factory in the town of Homburg an der Saar.

Here up until 1938, the all wheel drive swimmer, the SG6, was developed. All attempts to bring to market a civilian version of the SG6 or the sporty SG8 fell flat. War controlled Europe.

Instead, the SG6 was steadily improved. Collectors credit the 1941 version (already with independent single wheel suspensions and disk brakes) as the epitome of the Amphicar. World wide there are three existing vehicles. One of which is in Germany.

Buchtipp: Book Tip: For ten years Author Rene Pohl collected archive material on Amphibious cars. The picture studded book that is extract of his collection fetish brings Swimming Cars into the open for the Swimming Cars Experts. Pictures, that are pleasurable to spend time looking at, document that the dream of amphibious cars is at least as old as that of the car. When at the same time many solid ideas sink for example the seaworthy steam car from an American (1805), the rescue boat on a Ford T Chassis (1922), or the swimming recreation vehicle from the Teutoberger Wald (Teutoberger Forest)(1968). Almost forgotten is that the Australian Ben Carlin in 1951 in a Ford GPA crossed the Atlantic. Summary: Comical people in in funny vehicle - high grin factor. Book Info: Written by IRene Pohl and Rudiger Haac: Mit Dem Auto Baden Gehen, Published by Heel Verlag, 126 pages, ISBN Number: 3-89365-702-9, for 68 marks.

Grace owned Sweetheart Motor & Trailer Sales, an Amphicar dealership in Loveland (6 miles from here). This is Grace in her Amphicar in Lake Loveland. After I purchased my Amphicar, I always heard of this lady time and time again. All had good things to say about her. So I did some investigating.

She was a teacher that cared about her students. If there was a student who needed a "boost", she was known to take them out for a swim in the Amphicar! Sadly she passed on in 1988.