Yamaha may have only recently given the automotive world a taste of what it is cooking up and now patents have emerged of what could become the motorcycle manufacturer’s most unique creation yet.
Uncovered by AutoGuide and found within the Japanese Patent Office, the image above reveals the design of a functional amphibious car which designers and engineers at Yamaha have dreamt up.
The Japanese filing says that the purpose of the patent is “to provide a vehicle including a structure which enables a wheel to be stored in a vehicle body without needing a large vehicle body width.”
Simply translated, the amphibious car has four wheels which can fold up into the vehicle’s body when it hits water and turns into a boat. If you look closely, the folding wheel hubs of the car are visible showing that Yamaha has put some thought into the vehicle, rather than simply sketching out something that will never see the light of day.
Few further details about the amphibious car pictured have been provided including whether or not it could see the light of day. However, the filing does reveal that the vehicle has an “aquatic propulsive engine” to use when it is on the water.
While it seems unlikely Yamaha will put such a creation into production, we would not be at all surprised to see it debut in concept guise in the coming two or three years.
PHOTO GALLERY
