an Amphicar. Johnson, a known practical joker, was said to enjoy frightening visitors at his Johnson City, Texas, ranch by driving them downhill in his Amphicar, directly into his property's lake, all the while shouting that he had malfunctioning brakes. In a fifth-season episode of The Simpsons, an antique filmstrip touts Springfield's famous "aqua-car" factory, showing Amphicars rolling off an assembly line and into the water. The Amphicar was featured in Visiting... with Huell Howser, episode 733. History Production started in late 1960. By the end of 1963, complete production was stopped. From 1963 to 1965 cars were assembled from shells and parts inventory built up in anticipation of sales of 25,000 units, with the last new build units assembled in 1965. Cars were titled in the year they actually sold rather than when they were produced, e.g. an unsold Amphicar assembled in 1963 or 1965 could be titled as 1967 or 1968 if that was when it was first sold. Although the inventory could not be sold in the U.S. in the 1968 model year or later due to new environmental and USDOT emissions and safety equipment standards, they were available in other countries into 1968. The remaining inventory of unused parts was eventually purchased by Hugh Gordon of Santa Fe Springs, California. Most Amphicars were sold in the United States. Cars were sold in the United Kingdom from 1964. Total production was 3,878 vehicles, of which only 97 were right-hand drive. Some were used in the Berlin police department and others were fitted for rescue operations. Amphicar shows and rides Amphicar owners regularly convene during the spring, summer, and fall at various locations nationwide for "swim-ins", the largest of which is held at Grand Lake St. Marys State Park, Ohio. In 2015, the Boathouse at Walt Disney World's Disney Springs in Orlando, Florida, began offering public Amphicar rides to visitors, charging $125 per ride for groups of up to three. Disney heavily re-engineered and enhanced the eight Amphicars of various original colors in its fleet for safety, reliability, and comfort. See also DUKW Dutton Cars Gibbs Aquada (2004) Gibbs Humdinga (2006) Gibbs Quadski (2006) Schwimmwagen Type 166 (1942) Swamp buggy WaterCar References External links Official website of the International Amphicar Owners Club 400+ member Amphicar discussion forums with thousands of archived messages related to the Amphicar Amphicars.com a UK site with a lot of photographs and information on