With Washington, D.C., for once stuck in gridlock because of weather instead of bipartisanship, let us take the day to remember politicians are just people: They fall in love, they suffer disappointments, and they laugh. One president, in particular, was fond of staging an elaborate prank for his friends and he used a strange vehicle to pull their leg. Here’s how he did it.
For some reason that defies logic, German auto engineers once believed a lucrative commercial market would love an amphibious vehicle. In 1960, a small factory outside Berlin began making the Amphicar, combining “amphibious” and “car” in a name as appealing as the product.
The Amphicar debuted at the 1961 New York Auto Show. It was short, squat, and ugly. Twin propellers hidden behind the rear bumper moved it in water. The few, very few, people who bought one were enthusiastic. “We like to think of it as the fastest car on water and the fastest boat on the road,” one said. A reviewer from Time magazine was skeptical; he called it “a vehicle that promises to revolutionize drowning.”
One person who was crazy about the Amphicar was President Lyndon B. Johnson. He got hold of one in 1962 and immediately realized its potential for a classic practical joke.
After becoming president in 1963, Johnson enjoyed spending time at his LBJ Ranch in the Texas Hill Country. He frequently entertained there and used his Amphicar to make the visit memorable.
Johnson would load guests into his powder blue Amphicar, jump behind the wheel, and take them on a guided tour of the ranch. He eventually made his way down a steep bank that led straight into a lake. LBJ would call out in a frightened voice, “The brakes are out! Hold on, we’re going to crash!” and plunge the little craft into the water. Last prayers were likely said until the Amphicar putted along calmly with the president howling in laughter and his passengers surprised to discover they were still alive.
He eventually refined his act to give it more credibility by radioing a Secret Service agent who was in on the joke. Their exchange went like this:
Johnson: “Did you get the bakes fixed on this car?”
Agent: “No, sir. I haven’t had time.”
Johnson: “Are you telling me the brakes AREN’T FIXED?”
Agent: “It’s ok, Mr. President. You can handle it. [pause] Probably.”
One time the joke backfired. A terrified woman leapt out of the Amphicar and flailed in the shallow water so frantically she sustained a concussion, sprained wrist and ankle, and a bruised shoulder. A Secret Service agent and the president’s physician pulled her out. Johnson bent over her asking, “My God, why did you jump out?” She replied sheepishly, “I can’t swim, Mr. President.”
Presidential enthusiasm notwithstanding, the Amphicar was a novelty and nothing more. When it left the market in 1968, only 3,878 had been built. Collectors still meet at lakes to cruise in them. Johnson’s is on display at the LBJ Ranch.
In the end, non-existent demand spelled the Amphicar’s doom. It turned out the American family didn’t need, or want, a vehicle that was half car, half boat. Who’d have thought?
J. Mark Powell (@JMarkPowell) is a contributor to the Washington Examiner’s Beltway Confidential blog. He is a former broadcast journalist and government communicator. His weekly offbeat look at our forgotten past, “Holy Cow! History,” can be read at jmarkpowell.com.
