Have You Heard of the Terra Wind Amphibious RV Motorhome?

Remember the hysterical 2006 movie, RV? Robin Williams takes his reluctant family on a cross-country RV adventure. Williams never quite masters the art of using the parking brake and in one harrowing but hysterically funny scene, the RV rolls into a lake and sinks. Well, Robin could have saved some wear and tear on his family and the rented RV if it had been a Terra Wind motorhome!

That's because Terra Wind motorhomes are amphibious! That's right, a Terra Wind motorhome is a combination RV and houseboat! I know this sounds amazing! You can view a really cool video showing the Terra Wind in action on land and in the water here.

The Terra Wind motorhome is an example of American ingenuity. The C.A.M.I. plant in South Carolina rolled out a prototype Terra Wind motorhome in 2003. Its inventor is John Giljam, and this is not his first amphibious vehicle project. He proudly tells inquirers that his company builds amphibious vehicles wholly fabricated in America.

In the 1990's, the Giljams purchased an old Vietnam-era amphibious cargo vehicle, to shuttle tourists back and forth from Hilton Head Island in South Carolina. It kept breaking down, so mechanically inclined John Giljam, with no educational credentials beyond his high school diploma, decided the concept could be much improved.

The design Mr. Giljam came up with, the Hydra-Terra, was not only a hit with the Hilton Head tourists but other resorts and amusement parks, as well. So in 1999 the Giljams' company, C.A.M.I (Cool Amphibious Manufacturers International) was born. In fact, the Hydra-Terra is still the company's most popular product.

The Giljams were not the first to come up with a commercial use concept for amphibious vehicles. Remember the German Amphicar of the sixties? Its popularity never did take off with consumers but the novel concept of combining a regular vehicle with a boat did not disappear. In fact, today there are other companies here in the U.S. and worldwide that make such vehicles. The Terra Wind is the first amphibious motorhome, though!

The Giljams do admit there is a shock factor when people see a Terra Wind motorhome rolling down a boat launch or floating down a river. People aren't sure whether to call the police or offer to tow the 31,000 lb aluminum goliath to shore.

You can purchase the base model Terra Wind motorhome- the Giljams prefer the term, "Motor Coach"- for a mere $850,000. Upgrades, like a built in Jacuzzi, could boost the price to 1.2 million dollars.

At the end of 2004, the Giljams had orders for two Terra Wind motorhomes, with a possible line on a third. I didn't find any used Terra Wind motorhomes for sale on Ebay Motors, so I'm guessing they haven't sold too many, due to the economy in the past few years. It hasn't stopped Mr. Giljam from dreaming up the next amphibious vehicle project for C.A.M.I.

Sources:

1. "RV Ingenuity - Is the Amphibious RV Yacht Right For You?" ezinearticles.com/?RV-Ingenuity---Is-the-Amphibious-RV-Yacht-Right-For-You?&id=2346833

2. "Cool Amphibious Manufacturers Ie," terrawind.com/terrawind.htm

3. "The New York Times > Automobiles > Custom Built: Keeps on Rolling, Rolling, Rolling Into the River," nytimes.com/2004/10/27/automobiles/27BURN.html