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Amphibious Encyclopedia · Amphibious cars

Amphi-Ranger

The Amphi-Ranger is an amphibious four-wheel-drive vehicle with an aluminum hull, built in small numbers in West Germany by the pipeline valve maker Rheinauer Maschinen- und Armaturenbau (RMA) [1][2]. Series production ran from about 1985 to 1995, and roughly 70 were made [2][4].

  • Amphibious cars
  • about 1985 to 1995
  • West Germany

History

RMA, based in Kehl in Baden, made valves for gas, oil and water pipelines [1][2]. According to Silodrome, its managing director Gerhard Faulhaber wanted a vehicle that could inspect pipelines where they crossed rivers, marshes and other places without bridges, and development began in 1982 [2]. A German commercial vehicle archive dates the start of small-series production to 1981 and lists the intended buyers as surveyors, public authorities, rescue services, forestry, police, border guards, fire brigades and expeditions [1].

Series production is usually given as 1985 to 1995 [2][4]. Output was low. Auto Bild counted 35 vehicles by December 1986, when about one a month was being built, and Silodrome estimates the total at about 70 [2]. Jalopnik, citing an enthusiast site, puts the figure at no more than 90 [3]. Buyers included police forces, the military, oil companies and private owners, and some German police units used the vehicle [3][4].

The Amphi-Ranger was expensive. Its price was 95,000 DM in 1986 [2]. CAR magazine's test car in 1990 was priced at £96,286, and in 1993 RMA quoted $200,000 to a prospective American buyer [2][3].

Design and how it works

The body is a sealed tub of seawater-resistant aluminum sheet, 3 to 4 mm (about 1/8 to 3/16 in) thick, welded to an aluminum ladder frame [2][3]. The letters SR in the model name stand for seawater-resistant [1]. The underside is smooth and the wheels are its lowest point, so the vehicle can pass over obstacles, and the archive gives its climbing ability as an 85 percent gradient [1]. On land it has four-wheel drive, locking differentials, independent suspension with coil springs and power steering [1][2].

In the water, a switch lowers an electrically driven propeller at the stern. The front wheels steer, a folding rear rudder or a side propeller was available, and with four-wheel drive engaged the vehicle could turn almost on the spot [1][2]. The first Amphi-Ranger 2800 SR used a carbureted 2.8 liter Ford Cologne V6 of 133 bhp. From 1986 a fuel-injected 2.9 liter Ford V6 of about 141 to 145 hp was used, and from autumn 1991 a 4.0 liter Ford V6 with automatic transmission and permanent four-wheel drive was offered [1][2][3]. A four-cylinder 2000 SR version is also listed [3][5].

Published speeds vary. A 1986 Auto Motor und Sport test recorded 88 mph (142 km/h) on land, and the archive gives up to 160 km/h (99 mph) for the 4.0 liter version [1][2]. On water, RMA quoted 15 km/h (9 mph), a 1986 Auto Bild test reached about 10 knots (19 km/h), and CAR measured about 11.5 mph (18.5 km/h) in 1990 [2][3]. The archive lists a gross weight of 2.8 t (about 6,170 lb) with a payload of 0.76 t (about 1,680 lb) and room for five or six people with luggage [1].

Sources

  1. Amphi-Ranger (Nutzfahrzeug-Lexikon), Archiv Axel Oskar Mathieu (2020-12-21). www.archiv-axel-oskar-mathieu.de/pdfs/Amphi-Ranger.pdf
  2. For Sale: A Rare 1990 RMA "Amphi-Ranger" Amphibious 4x4, Silodrome (Ben Branch) (2026-09-09). silodrome.com/rma-amphi-ranger
  3. The 1985 Amphi-Ranger Proved Every Off-Roader Should Be Amphibious, Jalopnik (Justin T. Westbrook) (2018-05-08). jalopnik.com/the-1985-amphi-ranger-proved-every-off-roader-should-be-1825837736/amp
  4. 6 amphibious cars to whet your aquatic appetite, Hagerty UK (Nik Berg) (2020-09-15). www.hagerty.co.uk/articles/6-amphibious-cars-to-whet-your-aquatic-appetite
  5. AmphiRanger, Allison's Land Rover and amphibious vehicle pages (allisons.org). allisons.org/ll/4/Amphibious/AmphiRanger

Last reviewed November 2026. Spotted something to correct or add? Tell us and include a source.

About the Amphibious Encyclopedia

WaterCar has designed and built amphibious vehicles in Southern California for more than 25 years. We keep this encyclopedia so anyone curious about vehicles that cross between land and water has one place to start, with the sources listed for every fact.

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