The floodgates opened and in floated -- the Amphicar! As many readers already know, that little amphibious convertible was the car pictured in last week's What Is It? photo.

For a vehicle that is four decades old and unknown to much of the public, the Amphicar brought in the most responses ever to our weekly quiz.

The first reader to tell us the car's name was Dick Dermody, of Evans, who saw a blue one drive from a boat ramp into the water in Rhode Island in 1964 or '65 as people watched in amazement.

"It caused quite a stir," he said. "It was really something."

For being first, Mr. Dermody wins a little gift from The Augusta Chronicle.

Responding only one minute after him was Kerry Florence, of Martinez. They were followed by a tsunami of readers, some of whom had stories to tell about the Amphicar (we also accepted spelling variations):

R.L. Craig, of Aiken (who said the story goes that the car was designed for use by the Hamburg police department's harbor patrol but was a dismal failure. because it was too slow on the land and water, and took on cold water splashed from passing boats); George Bellows, of Martinez; Jimmy Jackson, of Sandersville, Ga. (who said he remembered seeing it at an auto show in San Diego years ago and in the 1982 movie Savannah Smiles ); Jimmy Warren, of Augusta; Cindi Cropper, of Evans ("I saw one once in Lake Mead outside of Las Vegas, about 25 years ago. ... It looked scary to me; it rides very low in the water. Can't take any wake."); Wayne Joiner, of Martinez ("The car was built in Germany from 1961 through 1968. They were all convertibles and came in four colors. They had a 4-cylinder engine. They had two nylon propellers in the rear for traveling in water."); Tony Anthony, of Sandersville, Ga. ("I saw my first one coming out of the Ohio river in Louisville, Ky., in 1963."); Keith Beggs, of Thomson ("(It) was marketed in California. It had a Triumph engine in it. My brother and I had one of these several years ago."); Paul DeLorme, of North Augusta; Herb Jackson Jr., of North Augusta ("A classmate of mine in 1965 at Butler High had one of these cars. Thanks for the memories."); Gary Engen, of Augusta ("I saw one at this year's Barrett-Jackson auction in Scottsdale , Ariz., go for over $100,000. Not bad for a car that originally sold for around $3,500."); Bill O'Neill, of McCormick, S.C.; Ted Weatherred, of Evans ("Very cool!"); Bob Hardt, of Aiken; Bill Hagins, of Evans (who sent along a postcard made from a photo of an Amphicar shot at an "orphan car" show in Oregon in 2001); Joe Hett, of Monticello, S.C.; David Russell, of Augusta; Glenn Widner, of Keysville, Ga. ("It had a total production of 3,878, and had a 4-cylinder British Triumph engine. ... It had the notoriously bad Lucas 12-volt positive ground electrical system."); Al LaFavor, of North Augusta; David Brock, of Evans ("This is the Amphicar, Model 770, so named since it would make 7 mph on water and 70 mph on land."); Ellen Holmes, of North Augusta ("I think it is a cool car but I have only seen them at car shows."); Michael V. Canady, of Martinez; P.J. Rogers, of Evans ("It was imported by by Amphicar Corp. of America, Carlstadt, N.J. ... It stopped selling because it could not meet the newer government safety standards. Used to love seeing this at Lake Olmstead when I was about 12 years old."); D.G. Evans, of Evans ("Most were red. ... Every year in July at Celina, Ohio, a few will meet and will float in the reservoir there."); Crystal Flournoy, of Louisville, Ga.; Kerry Gladin, of Wadley, Ga. ("It looks like an Amphicar to me. After all, how many dual purpose car/boats have been built?"); Kevin Steinmeyer, of Evans; Daniel Aaron, of Aiken; Jody Wilson, of Thomson; Toby MacKendree, of Martinez; Ed Lake, of Martinez ("Pretty cool car!"); Rich Bland, of Evans; John Pirkle Jr., of Martinez; Robert Blackburn, of Graniteville; Gary Dawkins, no city listed ("Been trying to find one for several years."); Tom Flanagan, of Augusta; Gerald Byrd, of Augusta (His uncle had one in North Carolina, and he rode in it in 1963 or '64 when he was about 10. Fishermen in boats looked at them as though they were crazy.); Chad McGahee, of Aiken; John Whitledge, of Blythe (who sat in a used one that was for sale in an Augusta auto dealership in the 1970s or '80s.); Lowell Fritsche, of Augusta; David Cooper, of Evans; Johnny Holmes, of Hephzibah; Dennis Jones, of Augusta; Gerald Schriner, of Hephzibah ("I saw one in Stone Mountain."); J.J. Sharp, of Augusta (who saw them cross the Delaware River near Philadelphia Naval Yard); Roger and Hollie Nunez, of Augusta; and David Grant, of Evans (whose friend had one years ago in Fort Pierce, Fla.).

Readers who remembered the car but not quite its name, included Hubert Jordan, of Bartow, Ga.; Bill Chaney, of Harlem; Joyce Anderson, of Augusta; Russell Andrews, of Augusta; Henry G. Mosley, of Augusta; and Stan Sypien, of Hephzibah ("I actually got to ride in one, in the water, in the middle to late '60s).

Thank every one of you for playing the game. We love hearing your comments. Now, all you readers who never entered the contest before have given yourselves away. You have no excuse for not entering this week's quiz, when the What Is It? photo is of a 2008 vehicle.

If you can identify the make and model, send an e-mail to glynn.moore@augustachronicle.com or leave a message at (706) 823-3419. Tell us how to spell your name, and include your city and phone.

The deadline is noon Wednesday. The names of correct guessers will be published Friday, and the first to correctly identify What Is It? will get a little gift.