Switch quickly from road to water and back again..
The Annecy-based company Lazareth has just released its first amphibious vehicle prototype, the Lazareth amphibious Moke, a beach cart for 2 people. This small 450 kg car is inspired by the Austin Mini-moke, in vogue in the 70s in Saint-Tropez and favourite vehicle of its muse, Brigitte Bardot.
Ludovic Lazareth, the designer of the Savoyard company, was looking for a way to make the switch from road to water quickly. A desire reinforced by the fact that traffic and parking are difficult around Lake Annecy. An ideal setting, therefore, for a floor on the Moc, which will have required two years of development. "The first year, we worked on the road homologation and the second year on the navigation side." details Ludovic, the company's manager.
The Lazareth Amphibious Beach Moke
The original concept was to create a floating car and not to adapt an existing car to the water. Thus, the chassis is made of aluminum and the Moke houses approximately 500 L of closed-cell foam to meet the unsinkability standards of the 245 division. The hardware is made of stainless steel and aluminum, while the upholstery is made of leatherette.
"The idea is to present the Moke as a boat tender, capable of sailing 300 m from a shelter or as a beach craft, which can also be used in the 300 m band. It complies with division 245 since it has a double homologation, for road and sea" develops Ludovic. The boat licence is therefore not necessary since it is approved as a beach craft. A lifting kit is also provided with the car so that it can be easily installed on the boat, should it be used as a dinghy.
The Moke is equipped with a 400cc Euro 4 quadricycle engine, dry in a sealed tank, while the brake/hub part remains immersed. " We built it as a boat, more than a car. With the Moc, we want to eliminate the constraints of the tender by allowing the yachtsman to disembark easily anywhere, even on rocky ground, since it is a 4x4 with four-wheel drive" says Ludovic.
Under the seats, there is a storage space under the seats to keep things dry. Finally, in terms of customization, everything is possible since the company specializes in customization. You can therefore choose the colour of your bodywork, upholstery, the materials of your fittings, etc...
Intuitive and easy operation
On the road, the Moke is driven like a normal car, with a B (or B1 from 16 years of age) licence and can reach speeds of up to 90 km/hour. In the water, the wheels stop turning and the 6 hp propeller (installed at the rear) takes over to reach the maximum speed of 7 knots (12 km/h). " You accelerate with the engine and turn the steering wheel to the right or left to move forward. You have a very short turning radius, just like on the car, so it's easy to manoeuvre. You can also reverse." comments Ludovic.
To switch from one mode to another, it's very simple, just turn a key and choose your position.
The first copy of the amphibious Moke Lazareth was released on the 1st of July er it is scheduled to start production in July 2017, but it will not begin serial construction until September. Four copies have already been ordered by private individuals (yachtsmen, but who do not wish to use it as an annex) and four others are intended for rental companies, for use on Lake Annecy and in the Arcachon basin. It is priced at 42,000 euros excluding VAT and takes 8 to 12 weeks to build.
From the car to the boat..
For 20 years, Lazareth has been designing, building and marketing light vehicles (quadricycles, tricycles and motorcycles). The company based in Annecy designs prototypes for private individuals as well as for the film industry. In fact, it was the company that designed the spaceship in Luc Besson's film Valerian (currently at the movies), a motorcycle used in the future Taxi 5 or a car in the movie Full steam ahead! "We have a vehicle catalogue that we produce on a recurring basis and we also do custom prototyping." explains Ludovic.
But with this amphibious Moke, the company has now obtained the status of boat builder.
