# Looking for an all AND non terrain vehicle

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-an-all-and-non-terrain-vehicle/957475>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [January 9, 2022, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-an-all-and-non-terrain-vehicle/957475 "2022-01-09T05:58:52Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\
**Post date:** [January 9, 2022, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-an-all-and-non-terrain-vehicle/957475/1 "2022-01-09T05:58:52Z")

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So I was watching the Wacky Races the other morning and I see Professor Pat Pending’s “Convert-A-Car”, which got me wondering:  
There are cars that can float like a boat, and there are cars that can fly like a plane, but are there any cars that can do _both?_

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**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\
**Post date:** [January 9, 2022, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-an-all-and-non-terrain-vehicle/957475/2 "2022-01-09T17:06:34Z")

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[http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/m/jiangsu/wuxi/2019-07/12/content\_37490887.htm#:~:text=%2Fwxrb.com]-,The%20world’s%20first%20amphibious%20flying%20car%2C%20which%20can%20drive%20on,the%20manufacturer%20announced%20July%204.&text=The%20driver%20can%20automatically%20expand,an%20airplane%20in%2030%20seconds](http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/m/jiangsu/wuxi/2019-07/12/content_37490887.htm#:~:text=%2Fwxrb.com%5D-,The%20world's%20first%20amphibious%20flying%20car%2C%20which%20can%20drive%20on,the%20manufacturer%20announced%20July%204.&text=The%20driver%20can%20automatically%20expand,an%20airplane%20in%2030%20seconds).

You’re probably thinking of something like the Wuxi vehicle linked above, but there are plenty of standard production aircraft that can both float on water and roll on land. See: [Amphibious aircraft - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amphibious_aircraft) and [Amphibious helicopter - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amphibious_helicopter)

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**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\
**Post date:** [January 9, 2022, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-an-all-and-non-terrain-vehicle/957475/3 "2022-01-09T17:09:23Z")

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> [@Bear\_Nenno](#):
>
> but there are plenty of standard production aircraft that can both float on water and roll on land.

But a car doesn’t just “roll on land”-a beachball can do _that_. When I say “car”, I mean something that can legally operate on roads, highways, freeways etc.

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**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\
**Post date:** [January 9, 2022, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-an-all-and-non-terrain-vehicle/957475/4 "2022-01-09T17:22:27Z")

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A beach ball can’t move under it’s own power and is not a vehicle. Those aircraft can propel themselves on land. You’d be hard pressed to find something street legal that can also legally fly and float. The regulatory hurdles alone far exceed the engineering challenges.

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**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\
**Post date:** [January 9, 2022, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-an-all-and-non-terrain-vehicle/957475/5 "2022-01-09T17:40:14Z")

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On American Pickers a few years ago they bought and restored a patent model that was supposed to fly, land on water and _dive_! You might find the episode with a bit of searching.