Sask. couple making waves with the 'Amphicar'
One Saskatchewan couple is making waves in their Amphicar this summer, a vintage vehicle that is part car and part boat.
Stan Brenner has dreamed of owning an Amphicar since he was seven years old, when a friend gave him a ride in one.
His dream finally came true four years ago when he bought a similar vehicle from the same friend.
"I said if you ever want to sell it, I would be really interested in buying it. So, the guy I knew passed away, and his son had no interest in it, so I bought it,” said Amphicar owner Stan Brenner.
It is a 41HP Amphibi car model 770, "It's called a 770, because it's supposed to do 70 miles on land, and seven miles in the water,” Brenner said.
Only 3,878 of the Western German manufactured amphibious cars were ever made and Brenner said very few can still float.
“I've got one of the 300 that swim in the world,” Brenner said.
Brenner's wife, Karla Sastaunik, said she didn't know what an Amphicar was until she met him. Now, she gets a kick when others learn about it too.
“The best part is [when] somebody isn't aware of what this does and they see us driving into the lake, the expression on their face, and their arms go up like they’re going to scream,” she explained.
The vehicle can be launched into the water by simply driving in. When it’s on water, it drives similar to a regular car
"You just turn the steering wheel and it's just like a regular boat, but the front wheels are what steers it,” Brenner said.
The couple often spends their weekends driving on Good Spirit Lake.
“If we see someone around, and they wave, and we have the time, we offer them a ride,” Sastaunik said.
The two enjoy offering rides in the vintage vehicle.
“We love sharing it with other people,” Sastaunik said.
"When it’s young kids, I always tell them about how Stan got this, and I always say, “You never know, one day you might own this.’”
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