have been on our minds, featured in movies, and showcased in prototype designs due to their unique appeal and larger-than-life approach to the daily commute. The lure of driving on water without any apprehensions, the same way as on land, just doesn’t die. Reason enough for an amphibious car to be relevant, no matter if it must be reworked from scratch to function. The Sea Lion amphibious car, built in 2012, is a great example, and it is currently up for auction.
The all-terrain all-weather vehicle built by engineer Mark Witt and engineers at SeaRoader Aquatic was, at that time, labeled as the world’s fastest amphioxus car. The one-off prototype comes with retractable side pods when the water travel mode is activated. Although the listing clearly mentions that the vehicle needs a revamp to make the amphibious mode possible, the car requires a significant amount of work before it can function as intended.
Designer: Mark Witt / SeaRoader Aquatic
Sea Lion has a futuristic persona to it with the aluminum chassis protecting the inner mechanism and keeping the dry weight down to a minimum. This is important since moving forward in water has a whole lot of resistance issues, that can consequently take up a lot of power. The Front Wheel Drive car is powered by a 175-horsepower 1.3-liter Mazda rotary engine, and there is a jet-fighter-like stick for the steering input, which makes maneuvering the vehicle a highly tactile experience. According to, the front wheels on this thing “suck up into the wheel wells with hydraulic actuation.” For powering the underwater mechanism in the amphibious mode, the maker salvaged a Berkeley 12 JC jet drive pump and highly modified it.
According to Wired, the Sea Lion cost a whopping $259,000 to make, so you can very well imagine the price it could hit at the final auction bid. In its prime, the amphibious vehicle was able to hit 180 mph on land and 45 mph in water. The car was housed at the Larry Klairmont Museum Collection, and finally made it to the auction floor at Larry’s Legacy auction. The listing explicitly mentions, “Any vehicle purchased from this collection will likely require essential basic service before driving on the road, including, but not limited to, fuel system and carburetors, batteries, brakes, etc.”
For now, the one-off amphibious car is positioned at the Mecum Auctions docket for the September 20th event, where it will be up for grabs for the passionate motorheads. It’ll be interesting to watch the developments as a collector takes this thing home. Will it ever see the serene waters again, or be just a pride possession sitting pretty in the expansive living room garage of a billionaire?
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