Amphibious Road Racing Helicopter First Ever Street Drive!

Talk about things that will make you do a double-take! How about this: a street legal amphibious helicopter! Yep, there’s a whole lot of “why” to ask, but before you write this off as nonsense, there’s actually a pretty cool story behind this project.

Built for the incredibly entertaining 24 Hours of LeMons, a race series exclusively for cars costing less than $500 and known for some of the wackiest concoctions ever to hit the asphalt, this Vietnam-era Bell helicopter – widely known by those following it’s progress as SpeedyCopter – was rescued from the scrap yard and given a new life as a road racer! The team behind the build, SpeedyCop & The Gang of Outlaws, took the chopper and grafted it onto a highly modified chassis from a Toyota van. The fuselage still looks almost identical to a battle-ready chopper with the exception of the bobbed-off tail section, and still retains the huge rotors above the pilots… errrr… driver’s compartment. The whole thing is powered by an Audi V6 engine and Quattro transmission, a durable choice of drivetrain that will hopefully stand up to the rigors of the 24 Hours of Lemons.

What would you do if you were rolling through your daily commute and had a chopper pull alongside you? Question your sanity, or give the guys on board a thumbs up as they fly by?!