Patent ID: 7416457

Claim:
An amphibious vehicle having road wheels and a transverse engine mounted in the middle or rear of the vehicle and having a crankshaft extending transversely of the vehicle, the engine arranged to drive rear road wheels and through an axial transmission shaft substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle, a marine propulsion unit, characterised in that the engine is so mounted in relation to the transmission to the marine propulsion unit that the bottom of the engine is below the axis of the transmission shaft and wherein the vehicle has a bottom enabling planing in a marine mode, said road wheels arranged to be stowed in a raised position to allow for planing during marine travel, wherein in the raised position, the road wheels are angularly displaced in relation to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle relative to their position for land travel wherein the engine is arranged only to drive the rear wheels and the propulsion unit; wherein in the marine mode, the vehicle sits nose up in the water.