ONE IF BY LAND, TWO IF BY SEA: These vehicles fall into the “Not Something You See Every Day” category

January 6, 2020
Posted by Barrett-Jackson

Written by Eric Becker

Shades of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang? This 1954 Taylor Aerocar (Lot #1354) is one of the more unusual vehicles that will be crossing the auction block in Scottsdale with No Reserve.

As is oft the case, reality has gone well beyond fiction – at least in the collector car world. Appearing to jump straight from Elon Musk’s Twitter musings and onto the pages of reality, these vehicles cater to the imagination. Barrett-Jackson is pleased to present two special vehicles that go beyond the traditional offerings. Representing inventive methods of transportation from around the globe, these could only be offered with No Reserve from the World’s Greatest Collector Car Auctions.

1978 TUPOLEV A-3 AEROSLEDGE GULLWING BOAT (LOT #1338)

To paraphrase Led Zeppelin … it came from the land of the ice and snow from the midnight sun, where the cosmonauts flow (well, land). The Tupolev A-3 Aerosledge is a remnant of the Space Race and Cold War. Part airboat, part snowmobile, all-purpose. Conceived at the behest of USSR military as an amphibious rescue vehicle, the A-3 was built to quickly traverse the frozen tundra and collect recently landed cosmonauts finding themselves in the wilds of Siberia upon returning to terra firma. Preordained to be the villain’s ride of choice in an Ian Fleming novel, the Aerosledge was packaged small enough to fit aboard a helicopter and be dropped north of the Arctic Circle on thick snow, ice or bodies of water.

Designed by aeronautical engineer Alexei Tupolev, the very same who developed the supersonic TU-144 and TU-95 strategic bomber, this A-3 (Lot #1338) married the fuselage of an aircraft with the metal hull of an outboard boat. The riveted metal alloy construction was completed using 2mm-thick duralumin, an age-hardened aluminum alloy consisting of copper, magnesium and manganese. The unique design made the Aerosledge capable of carrying four men at speeds up to 75 mph over snow and 40 mph over water. The metal hull is double-plated and coated in a low-friction polyethylene material, enabling the A-3 to gently slide over water and snow.

Due to the hostile terrain it negotiated, additional robustness was engineered from the onset. Traverse bulkheads divide the craft into three watertight compartments, allowing the A-3 to remain afloat in case one of the compartments becomes inundated with water. Because of its unique design, Tupolev was honored with the prize of best engineer in the USSR in 1965. The 20-foot-long Aerosledge can carry over 600 pounds over water and is absent of batteries, instead utilizing a 500psi air pressure system to start the engine in sub-zero temperatures. Power comes from a Vedeneyev M14B air-cooled 9-cylinder radial engine displacing over 10 liters and producing 365hp. The massive engine holds two interconnected 6-foot propellers that work in tandem. Similar to cars drafting each other on a racetrack, one propeller displaces the air, allowing for quieter and smoother operation. This incredible matching-numbers vehicle is the ultimate in arctic navigation, so much so that Jon Snow wishes he had one. Too bad he knows nothing.

1954 TAYLOR AEROCAR (LOT #1354)

Perhaps the greatest obstacle in preventing the flying car from taking off is in fact a very mundane one, having nothing to do with technologic limitations and all to do with the very enthralling process of getting your paperwork in order. To operate a flying car, you need eight different licenses and certificates, which only adds to the joy of ownership. Surely, the bureaucratic barriers of having the likes of a driver’s license, pilot’s license, car registration, airplane registration, radio operator’s license and more are all remedied by the knowledge that you’re operating one of the most unique vehicles on the planet and subject to the childlike fantasies of people everywhere.

Lot #1352, a Taylor AEROCAR that is one of only five ever built, is the only vehicle in the United States that is both air and roadworthy with full FAA certification. The vision of aeronautical engineer Moulton (Molt) Taylor, the AEROCAR is the quintessential vision of the flying automobile. The 320ci naturally aspirated Lycoming H4 produces 150hp. While set in “car mode,” the giant rear-mounted engine sends drive to the front wheels, and in “aircraft mode,” a Hartzell two-blade HA12 UF propeller pushes it through the air. While on land, the wings, propeller and fuselage are towed behind via an 8-foot trailer, ready to be attached in under 30 minutes when needed. The cabin seats two abreast, and both car and aircraft controls are integrated seamlessly. A 300-mile cruising range with a 100-mph cruising speed highlight the aircraft’s prowess in the air. With 15,254 miles and 781 flight hours, this is an incredible artifact of transportation history.

For up-to-date information on these and other vehicles heading to the 2020 Scottsdale Auction, click HERE.