2016 WaterCar Panther

On water, the Panther Jet engine - located in the middle of the rear bumper - is driven by the V-6 Honda engine.

In 2014, a WaterCar Panther was featured in ABC's reality television series The Bachelor. The WaterCar has also been featured in USA Network's television series Royal Pains and an episode of Jay Leno's Garage.

WaterCar is an American company that specializes in the manufacture and development of luxury amphibious vehicles. Based in Southern California, the company was founded by Dave March in 1999 when he was inspired by the Amphicar of the 1960s. March claims he originally had no plans to market an amphibious vehicle – just merely to build one. In 2013, the company released its first commercial vehicle, the Panther, which holds a top speed of 80 mph (130 km/h) on land and 45 mph (72 km/h) on water. The company holds 27 amphibious related patents as well as the Guinness World Record for the fastest amphibious vehicle. WaterCar vehicles are designed and manufactured at Fountain Valley BodyWorks, an 85,000 square feet (7,900 m2) collision repair auto body shop in Southern California, owned and operated by March.

In 2011, March began developing a more reliable amphibious vehicle using technology from the Python and other prototypes. In June 2013, he released the Panther, the first commercial vehicle developed by WaterCar. Since its release, WaterCar has been popular in the Middle East, selling to the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates, with six additional vehicles being sold to the Crown Prince of Dubai and others sold to tech enthusiasts and residents of Silicon Valley. The Panther's price is US$140,000 (initially US$135,000).

Our founder and Chairman Mel Martin drove this Panther on the streets and in the bays of San Diego (see the photo below) over several years before putting it in the museum.

3.7-liter V-6 engine

305 horsepower

4-speed manual transmission

Retail cost of $158,000 for a base Panther and $198,000 for a custom model