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OC Inventor Makes A Splash With WaterCar That Reaches Speeds Up To 80MPH

ORANGE COUNTY (CBSLA.com) — An Orange County inventor is making a big splash with a new vehicle that's conquering both land and sea.

CBS2's Stacey Butler reports what started as a weekend project for Dave March and his son has turned into one for the record books.

"We've been working for years and years to get these to perform so they act like a boat in the water and like a car in the street," March said. "As soon as we put a video on the internet... it went viral immediately."

March and his son named the vehicle the Panther. It's now rated the fastest amphibious car in the world.

"They'll go 45 miles-per-hour in the water and 80 on land," March said.

Last Saturday, March made waves, driving past Avalon on his first trip to Catalina.

"Going on the road for 15 miles then being able to hit the water and going 30 miles across with nothing braking and just cruising across... [we] made it in an hour and 10 minutes on 10 gallons of gas," he said.

The WaterCar sells for about $100,000 to $200,000.

March says he has pre-sold dozens to businessmen in Silicon Valley and to princes in Dubai.

"People are willing to wait a year which is phenomenal," he said.

For more information about the WaterCar, visit the company's website.

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