
Rare Amphibious Car Spotted on Austin Lake Near Kalamazoo
You never know what you’ll spot on a Michigan lake! An interesting-looking vehicle out for a spin on a lake near Kalamazoo really turned heads recently.
Have you ever seen an amphibious car before?

When I was a kid we'd vacation in the Wisconsin Dells. I was obsessed with the "ducks", the military amphibious vehicles that are used for sight-seeing tours. Outside of that though, I've never spotted an amphibious cars in the wild.
Well, one such vehicle was spotted in Portage earlier this month!
A video shared to r/Kzoo by TheSaltedLeaf shows a teal 1960s sportscar driving into Austin Lake with the caption, "Somebody come get their grampa before he demasculates [sic] all the guys down here."
Some in the comments believe the amphicar once belonged to Bud Walters, the original owner of what is now Bud and Doug Walters Auto Sales. They shared an old clip of "On the Michigan Road" in which host Doug Evans takes a spin in a similar-looking vehicle. The episode first aired in 1987.
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Back then, the car-boat hybrid drew crowds as well!
Bud Walters shares with Evans that he bought the car in Traverse City at a collector's auction. It had been fully restored after being rescued from the bottom of a bay. Walters says the amphibious car tops out at about eight miles per hour. So no, you won’t be breaking any speed records—but you’ll make quite the splash on your scenic ride!
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Gallery Credit: Janna
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