aria
Former Moderator
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The Gibbs "Aquata"
This car looks FUN.
Read the article and check out their website (which includes video of the car in action, pulling a waterskier!): http://www.aquada.co.uk/
Branson Breaks English Channel Record
Mon Jun 14,10:34 AM ET
LONDON - Dressed in a dinner jacket and bow tie, British tycoon Richard Branson on Monday broke a French-held record for crossing the English Channel between Britain and France on an amphibious vessel.
The Virgin Group chief completed the 22-mile crossing on his shiny black Gibbs Aquada amphibious craft in 1 hour, 40 minutes, 6 seconds, well below the record of six hours held by two Frenchmen.
Branson said he hoped his victory would help to ease the nation's anguish after England lost 2-1 to France in overtime in the Euro2004 soccer tournament in Portugal on Sunday night.
"Maybe it is not as important as football but it feels important right now," Branson said.
The entrepreneur, who set a trans-Atlantic speedboat record in 1986, was attempting his latest feat to celebrate the 20th anniversary of his Virgin Atlantic airline.
Crowds gathered around the harbor at Dover in southeast England to watch Branson leave aboard his craft, which looks like a sports car, but transforms into a "speedboat" with the touch of a button. Ferry passengers gathered on deck to cheer him as he passed.
After arriving at Calais, in northern France, Branson needed a little help to raise the vehicle onto wooden ramps on the beach, but it was not long before he was greeting the crowds who had gathered to mark his achievement.
The crossing was monitored by an official from the Guinness Book of Records, although it made no statement about the event.
The Gibbs Aquada, which sells for $115,000, can reach speeds of 100 mph on land and 30 mph on water.
The record had been held since the 1960s when two Frenchmen made the crossing in 6 hours in an "Amphicar" amphibious craft. They beat the record of 7 hours, 33 minutes held by Englishman Ben Carlin.
This car looks FUN.
Read the article and check out their website (which includes video of the car in action, pulling a waterskier!): http://www.aquada.co.uk/
Branson Breaks English Channel Record
Mon Jun 14,10:34 AM ET
LONDON - Dressed in a dinner jacket and bow tie, British tycoon Richard Branson on Monday broke a French-held record for crossing the English Channel between Britain and France on an amphibious vessel.
The Virgin Group chief completed the 22-mile crossing on his shiny black Gibbs Aquada amphibious craft in 1 hour, 40 minutes, 6 seconds, well below the record of six hours held by two Frenchmen.
Branson said he hoped his victory would help to ease the nation's anguish after England lost 2-1 to France in overtime in the Euro2004 soccer tournament in Portugal on Sunday night.
"Maybe it is not as important as football but it feels important right now," Branson said.
The entrepreneur, who set a trans-Atlantic speedboat record in 1986, was attempting his latest feat to celebrate the 20th anniversary of his Virgin Atlantic airline.
Crowds gathered around the harbor at Dover in southeast England to watch Branson leave aboard his craft, which looks like a sports car, but transforms into a "speedboat" with the touch of a button. Ferry passengers gathered on deck to cheer him as he passed.
After arriving at Calais, in northern France, Branson needed a little help to raise the vehicle onto wooden ramps on the beach, but it was not long before he was greeting the crowds who had gathered to mark his achievement.
The crossing was monitored by an official from the Guinness Book of Records, although it made no statement about the event.
The Gibbs Aquada, which sells for $115,000, can reach speeds of 100 mph on land and 30 mph on water.
The record had been held since the 1960s when two Frenchmen made the crossing in 6 hours in an "Amphicar" amphibious craft. They beat the record of 7 hours, 33 minutes held by Englishman Ben Carlin.
