<table bgColor="#c8e0d8">
<font size="2">And here's yet another indictment ofyellow journalism and its sloppy thinking, sent via
http://www.nytimes.com/membercenter/formh.html:</font>
<font size="2"></font>
<font size="2">Dear Sirs:</font>
<font size="2">In response to Keith Martin's February 6, 2006 article about recent collector car auctions called "Sticker Shock on the Auction Block," wherein he writes, "... they were shocked by the $124,200 price of a 1964 Amphicar, a vehicle that performs poorly both on the road and in the water," I feel I should point out an obvious correction: In fact, a properly functioning Amphicar performs fairly well on the road and in the water compared with all those OTHER pricey rides mentioned in the article, like that $1.2 million '70 Chevelle, which I have been given to understand actually does perform rather poorly in the river. </font>
<font size="2">Please feel free to mention the International Amphicar Club's website at
www.amphicar.com as a source of reliable information on this unique vehicle in your correction/retraction, which you will doubtlessly run on the first page of tomorrow's issue above the fold. </font>
<font size="2">With Regards,
William "Bilgemaster" Connelly
IAOC Boardmember and Webmaster (Emeritus)</font>
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<div style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message -----
<div style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black">
From: Amphipoda
<div style="FONT: 10pt arial">
To: amphicar-lovers@yahoogroups.com
<div style="FONT: 10pt arial">
Sent: Wednesday, February 08, 2006 1:50 PM
<div style="FONT: 10pt arial">
Subject: [amphicar-lovers] Someone had to speak up...
<tt>Sent to:
copyed@sportscarmarket.com
Keith Martin Editor and Publisher of Sports Car Market,
Regarding your February 6th article in Sports Car Market on the
Barrett Jackson auction and I quote: "While specialists were
surprised at the $1.2 million paid for a '70 Chevrolet Chevelle SS454
convertible, a car with a history of racetrack successes, they were
shocked by the $124,200 price of a 1964 Amphicar, a vehicle that
performs poorly both on the road and in the water."
<
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/06/automobiles/06CARS.html>
As the president of the International Amphicar Owners Club
(
www.amphicar.com) I must come to the defense of our over 300 club
members and over 600 functional Amphicars world wide. I gather by
your rather flippant comment about the performance of an Amphicar on
land and in the water that your knowledge of Amphicars is superficial
or meager at best. I respectfully pose the following questions to
help you put the ridiculousness of your statement into proper
perspective;
1) Has any other car successful crossed the English Channel or
navigated from Long Beach California to Catalina Island?
2) Is any other boat capable of sustained 65 mph speeds on
freeways under its own power?
3) Have you ever actually been in an Amphicar and experienced
the joys of vehicular buoyancy?
Until you can honestly answer these questions and adequately
emphasize with the hundreds of offended Amphicar owners and lovers
world wide, I suggest you retract your inaccurate statement and/or
apologize to the amphibious community at large. It is precisely this
type of unsubstantiated rhetoric that detracts from your fine
publication.
I sincerely hope you will take my comments to heart.
Respectfully,
John "Amphipoda" Edelstein
President & Newsletter Editor of
The International Amphicar Owners Club
www.amphicar.com
</tt>
