Solved: Wendax 818 - Kurt Fähnrich's amphibious Citroen ID 19

[Wendax]

Base car is obvious again.

For one point, please respond and identify this car and its builder.

[Wendax]

up

[gilescooperuk]

has it been modified to be a boat....

[Wendax]

has it been modified to be a boat....

Yes, follow that trail.

[D-type]

Hovercraft?

[kwgibbs]

Is the man,s name Paul Pankotan?

[Wendax]

Neither Hovercraft nor Pankotan connection

[sixtee5cuda]

Due to all the expanded foam in the bumper and side panels, I suspect it floats.

[Wendax]

Due to all the expanded foam in the bumper and side panels, I suspect it floats.

No foam in there, but it even sailed on the open sea!

[D-type]

Hmmm - a Citroen-based amphibious vehicle

Was it perhaps called the "Grenouille"?  

[Wendax]

No, and it's not called like a sea goddess (Poseidonna  )

[Wendax]

up again

[grobmotorix]

Its been built by Kurt Fähnrich in 1968 or ´69 on the basis of a Citroen ID 19.
From 1970 on it featured the paint sceme of your puzzle pic.
It has been modified and changed its looks often - it seems to have been a heavily used amphibious car.

In 1978 he swam around Helgoland for one whole week!

Most likely he also was the builder of this creation:
http://www.autopuzzles.com/forum/index.php?topic=23244.0

[Wendax]

You are absolutely right. I found out that Kurt Fähnrich lived in Ahrensburg (the town where I live) when these pictures were made. The car doesn't exist anymore, though.

One point for you.

[grobmotorix]

 Wow!

[sixtee5cuda]

More information, and a picture in the water...

The car is a 1960 ID 19, which was transformed by Kurt Fähnrich in 1968. The bottom and sides of the car were sealed.  The back window and the trunk cover were of one piece and served as the car's only door. In the water, the car was powered by an outboard motor, on land it still used the original ID 19 mechanicals. In 1970 the car got a German TÜV, allowing it to be used on the road!

Later the car was updated to sail on open sea. As the outboard motor was not strong enough, Fähnrich used the ID 19 motor which was moved in place of the left front seat. With this vehicle he sailed around Helgoland (this is a little island near the German coast). In 1984 the car was given up and went to a junk yard.  It was discovered there by a Citroen fan living in Hamburg. He bought the car and stored it. In 1993 it was offered for sale, but nobody was found with the time and money to restore it. The car was scrapped in about 1994.

[Wendax]

... he sailed around Helgoland (this is a little island near the German coast).

For all those unfamiliar with the German islands in the North Sea, Helgoland is 47 km away from the coast. Quite a distance for an amphibious car!