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.’”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.