Water surprise as moke makes a comeback
What better way to avoid traffic jams round a lake or sea inlet than to drive your car into the water and cut some corners?
The Moke Amphibie by engineers Lazareth, was inspired by the regular traffic jams on roads near their Lac Annecy factory.
Looking like the original Mini Moke, the car was designed by engineer Ludovic Lazareth and can be used on roads at up to 90kph and on water, where it is seen as an ‘engin de plage,’ up to 300m from the shore.
Lazareth projects manager Cédric Collao said: “It is designed to be easy to use. You can drive it on the road from the age of 16 with a Permis B1 if you passed the Code de la Route. On water, no need for a permis bateau, just know the rules of navigation on the lake or sea.
“It is ideal here and with four-wheel drive and being light – it is just aluminium, foam filling and the drivetrain – it is easy to drive on slopes in and out of the water.
“It is a Quadricycle L7e legal for both use on the road and in water with rollover bar, seatbelts plus hollow side panels full of foam enough to balance the vehicle weight. It cannot sink.
“The 500cc petrol engine drives wheels and propeller and people with yachts can motor it to shore, moor at a buoy, tie up at the quay or drive up a slipway or slope.”
Mr Collao said they were improving the prototype for production, aiming to balance the motor and drivetrain so the car sits ‘flat’ on the water. “When we did the photos and film shoot it caused laughter as one of the models felt it made her look fat!”
It costs €42,000 before tax – a fraction of their €190,000 Maserati-engined motorbike from 2016.
Only 10 will be built a year and one or two extra staff will be hired.
