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Amphibious Encyclopedia · Amphibious boats

Gibbs Phibian

The Phibian is a large planing amphibious truck that Gibbs demonstrated near the Pentagon in February 2012 as a vehicle for rescue services, law enforcement and the military [1][2]. About 30 ft (9.2 m) long and seating up to 15, it drives at highway speeds on land and, with its wheels raised, planes across water at more than 30 mph (48 km/h) [1][10]. It is the largest design built on Gibbs's High Speed Amphibian technology, but in the sources found it never went beyond the prototype stage [9][10].

Yellow Gibbs Phibian planing at speed with its wheels raised
The Phibian planing on the sea with its wheels raised. Photo from its maker, Gibbs.Photo: Gibbs Amphibians

History

The Phibian came from the company founded by New Zealand entrepreneur Alan Gibbs, which had earlier built the Aquada amphibious sports car and developed the Quadski amphibious quad bike [1][4]. By 2012 Gibbs grouped its larger commercial and military designs as amphitrucks, and Fox News later described the Phibian as a product of the Gibbs Amphitrucks division [1][9].

Gibbs demonstrated the Phibian on 7 February 2012 at Columbia Island Marina near the Pentagon, at an event held before the annual conference of the American Society of Naval Engineers (ASNE) [1][2][3]. US military engineers and invited guests were the first to see it in action [4]. It was launched together with the Humdinga II, a smaller amphibious truck meant for light patrol and rapid response [1][5]. TradeABoat called the Phibian the fourth high-speed amphibious vehicle that Gibbs had demonstrated [4].

Gibbs chairman Neil Jenkins presented the Phibian as a vehicle for first responders and the military, pointing to the tsunamis in Japan and elsewhere in Asia and to Hurricane Katrina as disasters that showed the need for it [1][3]. ARLnow reported that the company hoped to sell it to the military and to federal and local agencies for search and rescue and disaster relief, and that it planned to build it in Michigan [2]. Auto Bild reported that the Phibian and the Humdinga II were due to be available from 2012 [8].

In October 2012 Fox News reported that the Phibian still existed only as a prototype, although the company said it had seen considerable interest from first responders and law enforcement agencies [9]. No deliveries or series production were reported in the sources found. Gibbs Amphibians still lists the Phibian among eight high-speed amphibian platforms it has demonstrated in public and says it considers licensing them case by case [11].

Design and how it works

The Phibian uses the High Speed Amphibian (HSA) system that Gibbs developed for its vehicles: a planing hull, a suspension that lifts the wheels clear of the water, and water-jet propulsion [1][4]. Gibbs said the jets let the vehicle work in shallow water while giving enough thrust to reach planing speed within seconds, and that HSA could be scaled to amphibians weighing from 800 lb (about 360 kg) to 10 tons [1][6]. The Phibian is the largest HSA design the company has shown [10].

The body is built mainly of carbon fiber [1][5]. The maker's specifications list two turbodiesel V8 engines of 250 hp each, selectable four-wheel drive, hydraulic wheel retraction and twin Gibbs water jets [10]. At the push of a button the wheels retract and the jets take over, a change the company said takes less than 10 seconds [1][6][7]. Gibbs gives the length as 9.2 m (30 ft), the curb weight as 4,500 kg (9,920 lb) and the gross weight as 6,000 kg (13,227 lb) [10].

At the launch Gibbs quoted highway speed on land and more than 30 mph (48 km/h) on water [1][5][7]. Its current specification sheet lists more than 70 mph (113 km/h) on land [10]. Reports from the launch day gave up to 80 mph (129 km/h) on land, and one gave 45 mph (72 km/h) on water [2][3]. New Atlas reported a payload of 1,500 kg (3,307 lb) in cargo configuration [5].

Gibbs planned to sell a base model that could be configured to each customer's needs [1]. Options under development included an enclosed stand-up cabin with a radar arch, two or three crew seats plus seating for 12 passengers in the cargo area, side doors wide enough for full NATO pallets, a tailgate and winch, an anchor with an electric windlass, heating and air conditioning, and a chemical toilet [1][6].

Photos

Rescue crew on a Gibbs Phibian recovering a person from the water
A rescue crew recovers a person from the water onto the Phibian.Photo: Gibbs Amphibians
Grey Gibbs Phibian on its wheels in a studio
The Phibian on its wheels.Photo: Gibbs Amphibians

Sources

  1. Gibbs Amphibians Introduces Phibian and Humdinga High Speed Amphitrucks (Gibbs release), conceptcarz.com. www.conceptcarz.com/z21167/concepts.aspx
  2. Amphibious Vehicle Demoed at Columbia Island Marina, ARLnow (2012-02-07). www.arlnow.com/2012/02/07/amphibious-vehicle-demoed-at-columbia-island-marina
  3. The Fast and the Amphibious (Spencer Mahony, HM Consul), UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office blogs (2012-02-09). blogs.fcdo.gov.uk/spencermahoney/2012/02/09/the-fast-and-the-amphibious
  4. First response amphibious trucks launched in Washington, TradeABoat. www.tradeaboat.com.au/news-reviews/6280-first-response-amphibious-trucks-launched-in-washington
  5. Gibbs unveils two new 'Amphitrucks' (Ben Coxworth), New Atlas (2012-02-08). newatlas.com/gibbs-amphibious-phibian-humdinga/21388
  6. Attack of the Amphitruck! (Sean Kilcarr), FleetOwner (2012-02-08). www.fleetowner.com/blog/attack-amphitruck
  7. This Is The World's Largest High-Speed Wheeled Amphibious Vehicle (Raphael Orlove), Jalopnik (2012-02-20). www.jalopnik.com/this-is-the-world-s-largest-high-speed-wheeled-amphibio-5885761
  8. Trucks: Amphibien-Fahrzeuge von Gibbs (Robin Hornig), Auto Bild (2012-02-27). www.autobild.de/artikel/trucks-amphibien-fahrzeuge-von-gibbs-2867508.html
  9. Gibbs Phibian is an all-terrain hurricane machine, Fox News (2012-10-29). www.foxnews.com/auto/gibbs-phibian-is-an-all-terrain-hurricane-machine
  10. Phibian, Gibbs Amphibians. gibbsamphibians.com/platform/phibian
  11. Licensing, Gibbs Amphibians. gibbsamphibians.com/licensing

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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