The Most Impressive Amphibious Supercar of 2012 Has Reappeared and Is Now Up for Sale.
Ken Wei/YouTube
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The 2012 Sea Lion is a unique supercar featuring a rotary engine for its wheels and a jet drive for skiing across the water. Designed to pursue the record for the fastest amphibious vehicle on both land and sea, it is set to be auctioned this weekend.
Mark Witt, the engineer behind the Sea Lion, claimed that the car “could achieve 125 mph on land and roughly 60 mph on water” at the time it was first unveiled. While I can't confirm if these speeds were independently substantiated, there is footage showing the car both swimming and driving, which I believe is quite an impressive feat in itself.
The interior is genuinely striking; the gauge cluster and switch panel enhance the James Bond fantasy.
Mecum
Wired featured the vehicle when it was newly released, stating that it was equipped with a ’74 Mazda RX-3’s 13B rotary engine on land and a Berkeley 12 JC jet drive pump in the water. It is rear-wheel drive and includes a five-speed manual transmission.
CNN also aired a segment on the Sea Lion, featuring insights from its creator:
I discovered some of those similar clips on YouTube, presented in much higher resolution and without commentary, if you’d like a closer look at the Sea Lion in action:
Originally listed at around a quarter million dollars 13 years ago, I suspect it will sell for somewhat less at this weekend’s auction. That is, unless there are at least two affluent SpyHunter enthusiasts reading this and saving the listing (Lot S266 at Mecum’s Larry Klairmont auction on September 20th). The car resembles the unidentified silver hero vehicle (which could be a car, boat, or motorcycle) from the 2001 PS2 game.
The actual Sea Lion is constructed on an aluminum monocoque chassis with stainless steel flotation pods. The single-seat cockpit, which indeed resembles a retro-futuristic sci-fi jet’s cockpit, features many CNC-milled components and a joystick for operation in the water.
Scroll through here to view additional photos as it prepares to go up for auction on the 20th, with no reserve:
When it enters the water, it employs a hydraulic system to retract the front wheels while the front spoiler adjusts its angle to form a bow. I assume that the reverse occurs when returning to land-mode via a boat ramp.
In terms of high-performance driving (or boating), the Sea Lion might be considered more hassle than it’s worth. At least, that’s my hypothesis as to why only one was made. Nevertheless, as a “make people drop their ice cream cones in astonishment” vehicle, it would be difficult to surpass. No matter where you appear in this, you’re bound to attract a crowd. It’s just unfortunate that you won’t be able to offer any of them a ride!
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The Most Impressive Amphibious Supercar of 2012 Has Reappeared and Is Now Up for Sale.
The Sea Lion is equipped with a 13B rotary engine that drives the rear wheels, along with a Berkeley jet drive for propulsion in water.