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Amphibious Car Means End of Traffic Woes
Oct 04 2007 by Courtney Messenbaugh
10/4/2007
James Bond Moms Could Float Around the Mess
After my son was born and my all-too-brief maternity leave ended, I went back to work full-time in a downtown office. Without traffic, the drive took me about 15 minutes each way. With traffic, it often took up to an hour each way. Days when I sat in traffic — hands clenched tightly on the wheel and my road rage gradually increasing — were probably my most frustrating, guilt-inducing times. I always wished there was some way to scoot over or around the traffic and get home to my son. It meant the difference between having a full hour to play with him before he went to bed or just a measly few minutes. The latter happened more often than I care to remember, and I inevitably ended up in tears. (I'm a total faucet since having a child, but that's another story.)
Now, there just might be a solution for me and other working moms: the Aquada, a car that turns into a boat. How James Bond is that? Before you fall in love, let me warn you that this car-boat thingamajig will run you $85,000. I totally can't afford one, but I'm going to use this space to indulge my wildest dreams, anyhow.
Imagine working in Manhattan and living on Long Island. Traffic on the Long Island Expressway is excruciatingly painful, and you'd likely feel like you never saw your children. Then you get an Aquada and, voila, when the traffic gets tough, the tough go swimming! As soon as you see brake lights, take a side road to the waterfront, press a button to fold up your wheels, go a few miles through the Long Island Sound and you're home in no time! Think what a rock star you'd look like! More importantly, think what a rock star your kids would think you are when you make it home with plenty of time to play with them, eat dinner with them AND put them to bed yourself.
The Aquada is due to go into production next year. The CEO at Gibbs Technologies, where it was developed, needed a way to get home during high tide — I guess living on the beach in New Zealand has its drawbacks. It's powered by a V-6 engine and can go 110 mph on land and about 30 mph in the water. Gibbs Technologies says that while the Aquada might appeal to a broad range of buyers, slick urbanites who reside in the hearts of cities like London and New York will likely be their first buyers. Translation: They're going to market this baby to affluent single men who want to play James Bond. I'd like to suggest to the nice folks at Gibbs, however, that they enlarge it slightly (it's only a three-seater, and there's no word on how car seats would fit in it), lower the price and market it to working mothers. Even if you live in a landlocked state, like I do, there's always a river or stream somewhere you could float on. You'll be home in no time, Aqua Mom!
