Throwback to the Evinrude Lakester, a car and boat in one

FOUNTAIN VALLEY—There have been a many number of amphibious car models, but they don’t compare to the Evinrude Lakester – a concept first revealed in 1970 which combined, more or less, a car and a boat into one. Some might be familiar with the concept of the amphibious car (the German manufactured Amphibicars can still be ridden at Disney World today), but the Lakester took the boat-and-car-in-one idea to a whole new level. Described by some as a kind of boater’s dune buggy, the Lakester could be seen as the ultimate recreational vehicle of its era – even though the idea was perhaps a little strange. On an original pamphlet describing the vehicle/vessel, the Lakester was called “the beaterized dune buggy.” While the Amphibicar was both able to drive on land and in water simultaneously, the Lakester was essentially half car/half boat. The boat was modeled to slip into the car’s shell, giving operators the ability to launch the boat into the water by removing it from the car. Oh, and remember the Oscar Meyer Wienermobile? It turns out that the Lakester was designed by none other than Brooks Stevens, an acclaimed auto designer who conceptualized the Wienermobile and the Jeep Wagoneer. Considered...