IF all goes according to plan, the 2013 Quadski will be the first amphibious vehicle from the Gibbs companies to make it into the sales distribution chain. But it won’t be the first introduced as ready-for-market.

In 2003 Gibbs launched the Aquada, an amphibious three-seat sports car. Aside from placing the driver in the center position, the Aquada looked like a normal roadgoing automobile and was said to be capable of speeds faster than 100 m.p.h. on pavement and 30 m.p.h. in the water.

Although it didn’t meet United States environmental and safety standards, the Aquada did meet European requirements, according to Neil G. Jenkins, chairman of Gibbs.

The Aquada was, for the most part, well received. In Britain, the magazine Auto Express said it was “more fun to drive than a lot of saloons,” using the British term for sedans. Time Magazine named it to a list of the best inventions of 2003. In 2004, Richard Branson crossed the English Channel in an Aquada, setting a record and generating media attention.