 |
 |
Last modified 16 Apr 2010
|
|
| |
Amphiroll (1960 |
|
This vehicle has 2 DAF 750 cc
engines with 2 variomatic gearboxes. This means that there is 1 engine and 1 gear box for each roll. The vehicle screws it self forward or reverse by rotating the rolls in opposite direction |
|
The real joke of this vehicle
is that a variomatic gearbox gives the same speed
forward and reverse. So if you rotate both rolls in the same direction this vehicle moves at a frightening speed sideways. By changing the parallel angle of the rolls, steering side ways works fine. |
|
The only drawback on this
vehicle is that it never will be street legal. :)
The B&W pictures came from the archives of
The DAF Museum |
|
Joris Bracke has written me: The Amphirol was designed around 1960 by J.J. de Bakker (my granddad) owner of the machine factory de Bakker in Hulst (Holland) He was looking for a solution to go fishing when he wanted. He was a busy man and he did not want to wait for the right water level. He like to fish at "verdronken land van saeftinge", a Dutch town that was taken back by the sea, located in the Schelde near the Belgium border. It is tidal water/land and the bottom is clay, so with low tide walking there is not so easy. If you take a boat at high tide then you have to be back before the water is gone. In his search for a solution he found the Amphirol. the idea of the 2 floats with a corkscrew was not new. But what made his Amphirol unique was the ability to alter the angle of the floats. not only parallel but at an angle. So when moving side ways, on a hard surface, (sand, dry clay) the vehicle can take a (wide) corner In water and clay the vehicle move length wise, By varying the rotating speed the vehicle makes a corner The reason this Amphirol is know to DAF is that on the first proto type 2 old DAF engines including the Variomatic gear boxes where used. Those DAF engines where under powered so the later version used 2 NSU rotary engines that had a much better out put in relation to there weight. A Sundstrand Hydraulic installation gave power to the rolls |