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Amphibious cars have never really taken off, and amphibious trucks are mostly limited to the military, but amphibious ATVs were once the core of the market. Before the seminal Honda ACT90 and later four-wheelers, six wheels and the ability to float were quite normal. So seeing this Ate 6×6 on Facebook Marketplace is kind of like seeing a dinosaur.
Offered with a $3,000 asking price by an Oklahoma seller, this ATV isn’t just cool because it has more than the typical number of wheels and can drive through water. The seller claims it also has a four-stroke Honda engine, which means it should be very reliable as well. This may not have been a factory option—Attex seemed to use a mix of engines from U.S. and Canadian manufacturers—but it definitely sounds like an improvement.
Kyle Rochell via Facebook Marketplace
Whether it’s in a car, motorcycle, or ATV, a Honda engine is a good bet when it comes to reliability. This one sounds like it has plenty of power too. The seller claims “you can spin a 180 on a trail in no time” and that they use the Attex to move trailers and boats. Like most other six-wheeled ATVs, you steer by braking the wheels on one side like a tank, which also makes it easier to maneuver in tight spaces. Side-by-side seating was also a big advantage when Attex was in business, but modern UTVs offer that with even more space nowadays.
According to current ATV manufacturer Mudd-Ox, which has dedicated part of its website to defunct ATV makers, Attex was founded in 1967 by David McCahill, heir to the Maytag washing machine fortune. McCahill wanted to start a business selling the Amphicat ATV but couldn’t get inventory, so he designed his own ATV with friend Roger Flannery.
Kyle Rochell via Facebook Marketplace
That first Attex was allegedly something of a knockoff of the Amphicat, but the company gradually became more ambitious, competing in the NORRA Baja 500 and designing a range of two-stroke and four-stroke models, as well as an electric model called the Electrica that was available by-order only. It also built a prototype dually called the Spirit, and supplied an 8×8 to the U.S. military to train tank drivers.
The double whammy of Honda’s arrival on the ATV scene and the 1973 oil crisis affected nearly all U.S. ATV manufacturers—including Attex. Two years later the company also lost access to the Borg-Warner T-20 transmission that it and many other 6×6 makers had been using when the rights were purchased by rival firms Recreatives and Hustler Corporation. The company was sold multiple times, allegedly selling a few vehicles into the early 1990s before disappearing like so many other of its contemporaries.
Stephen has always been passionate about cars, and managed to turn that passion into a career as a freelance automotive journalist. When he’s not handling weekend coverage for The Drive, you can find him looking for a new book to read.
