Land Cruiser

Make
Toyota
Segment
SUV

On Saturday, an Estonian set off on a round-the-world adventure in his self-built amphibious car. Seven years in the making, the vehicle dubbed the Amphibear is based on a Toyota Land Cruiser and comes with massive attachments enabling it to transform into a ten-meter long boat. The man behind the ambitious project is 44-year-old Mait Nilson. A mechanical engineer by trade, Nilson expects the 37,000-mile odyssey to take nine months, in which time he will cross land, rivers and oceans.

After leaving Tallinn, the adventurer will pass through Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Italy, France, Spain, Morocco, Mauritania, Senegal, Cape Verde, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Colombia, Panama, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, Mexico, USA, Canada and Russia.

The first sea crossing will be the Strait of Gibraltar, the first river crossing is in Senegal, and the first ocean crossing is the Atlantic," said Nilson. In ideal conditions, the Amphibear can cover 120 nautical miles. Most legs will last less than five days, while on land it can hits speeds of up to 69 mph. The 4x4 sports an anchor, hydraulic pump, portable toilet and a stove built into the back door. He's already spent 200 hours at sea, and Nilson admits that while it's not as roomy as a catamaran, it does have low wind drag so has no trouble staying upright in strong winds; something that'll certainly be put to the test when crossing the Atlantic.