The RMA Amphi-Ranger is a well equipped amphibious vehicle which was made in Germany between 1985-1995. The vehicle is well equipped for use on-road, off-road, and on water.
Fast Facts
- The RMA Amphi-Ranger is an amphibious vehicle that was in production between 1985-1995.
- The vehicle is fitted to enable two-wheel-drive and four-wheel-drive modes, and is fitted with a propeller for traversing water.
- The Amphi-Ranger was created primarily with industrial and police customers in mind, but is also a well equipped recreational vehicle.
- An RMA Amphi-Ranger 2800 SR is coming up for sale by Mecum Auctions at time of publication.
In the wild bushland of Australia’s Northern Territory is a place called Cahill’s Crossing. Cahill’s Crossing is a causeway that tends to have water flowing over it, and that water is the East Alligator River. But not to worry – there are no alligators in the East Alligator River – just great big saltwater crocodiles.
When people want to cross at Cahill’s Crossing they tend to use four-wheel-drive automobiles or trucks, but there is in the world a vehicle that might just be the best choice for navigating that saltwater crocodile haven, and that is the amphibious RMA Amphi-Ranger 2800 SR.
Why might the RMA Amphi-Ranger be such a good idea for Cahill’s Crossing? Because it floats, and conventional four-wheel-drives don’t.
So if your Amphi-Ranger happens to get swept off the causeway you don’t find yourself singing “never smile at a crocodile” but instead you can press the little switch that lowers the propeller, change gear, and drive yourself safely out of the predicament you were in: which is a much nicer outcome.
The RMA Amphi-Ranger is a vehicle that most of us will be unfamiliar with. Only 66 of the Amphi-Ranger 2800 SR were made so they are pretty scarce.
This amphibious vehicle was made by German company Rheinauer Maschinen- und Armaturenbau GmbH, which later changed its name to Rheinauer Maschinen- und Armaturenbau Faulhaber & Truttenbach KG, and then changed again to become RMA Rheinau.
The vehicle was manufactured beginning in 1985, and had a ten year production run which ended in 1995. The body is basically a monocoque hull made with seawater resistant 3-4mm thick aluminum over a galvanized steel frame. So it is essentially a boat hull onto which are attached wheels and suspension, and into which are installed engine and transmission for traversing land and water.
The body was offered in both convertible and fixed head styles.
The engine chosen for the 2800 SR was a Ford V6 initially with a carburetor equipped 2.8 liter engine that delivered 135 hp @ 5,200rpm, and then in 1986 a fuel injected 2.9 liter 145 hp @ 5,600 rpm engine. Optionally the vehicle was offered with a 4 liter engine delivering 157 hp @ 4,200 rpm, this being mated to an automatic transmission.
The transmission was first a four speed manual which was upgraded to a five speed driving via a transfer box which allowed the use of four-wheel-drive or two-wheel-drive for highway driving. The vehicle was equipped with locking differentials.
In addition to this was the provision of a propeller for use in the water. This was lowered and raised by use of an electrical switch. Some amphibious vehicles depend on using the wheels as paddle wheels in the water but this is very inefficient and results in slow speeds. A propeller is far more efficient in the water and enables the 2800 SR to attain speeds up to approximately 15km/hr when its in “boat mode”.
The suspension of this vehicle is quite sophisticated being fully independent using upper and lower wishbones front and rear with coil springs. Steering is by power assisted rack and pinion and brakes are discs all around.
Fuel consumption on the road was around 20 liters per 100 kilometers (12 mpg US). Ground clearance was ten inches.
There have been quite a few amphibious vehicles created in recent decades including US President Lyndon B. Johnson’s favorite the Amphicar, but also a number of others such as the Ford GPA and the Gibbs Aquada. So there is nothing particularly strange about RMA’s decision to create their own. If people are needing to travel into areas where traversing both land and water is on the agenda then they either need an amphibious vehicle or a hovercraft – and if you need to travel on public roads the hovercraft won’t do.
One of these RMA Amphi-Ranger 2800 SR vehicles is to be offered for sale by Mecum Auctions at their Nashville 2026 sale.
The specifications listed by Mecum Auctions are as follows:-
- 1 of an estimated 66 RMA Amphi-Ranger 2800 SRs produced
- Believed to be the only 1990 RMA Amphi-Ranger 2800 SR currently in the United States
- Odometer reads 16,000 kilometers
- Ford 2.9L V-6 engine
- 5-speed manual transmission
- Dual-propulsion system
- Powered axles for driving on land and integrated propeller for traversing water
- The rear propeller is electrically lowered and retracted via a switch on the dashboard
- 4-wheel drive
- Locking differentials
- Power steering
- Disc brakes
- Mesh-style aluminum alloy wheels
- Original tires
- Aluminum alloy body
- Galvanized steel chassis
- Green exterior finish
You can find the sale page for this rather useful vehicle if you click here.
Whether you are looking for a vehicle for some serious work, or for something that promises to provide a great deal of enjoyment this one might just be worth consideration.
Picture Credits: All pictures courtesy Mecum Auctions.
Jon Branch is the founder and senior editor of Revivaler and has written a significant number of articles for various publications including official Buying Guides for eBay, classic car articles for Hagerty, magazine articles for both the Australian Shooters Journal and the Australian Shooter, and he’s a long time contributor to Silodrome.
Jon has done radio, television, magazine and newspaper interviews on various issues, and has traveled extensively, having lived in Britain, Australia, China and Hong Kong. His travels have taken him to Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Japan and a number of other countries. He has studied the Japanese sword arts and has a long history of involvement in the shooting sports, which has included authoring submissions to government on various firearms related issues and assisting in the design and establishment of shooting ranges.
