Which billionaire drove a Gibbs Aquada across the English Channel in 2004?

Richard Branson drove a Gibbs Aquada across the English Channel in 2004.

The stunt showcased the Aquada, a high-speed amphibious vehicle developed by Gibbs Sports Amphibians. Unlike a conventional car fitted with flotation equipment, it was designed from the beginning to operate on both land and water. On the water, a water-jet system propelled the vehicle; on land, its wheels and Rover V6 engine provided normal road travel.

Branson’s crossing was more than a publicity excursion: it set a new amphibious-vehicle record. The officially recorded time was 1 hour, 40 minutes, and 6 seconds, cutting 4 hours 20 minutes from the previous record of six hours, which had stood since the late 1960s.

The Aquada should not be confused with the older Amphicar. The Amphicar was a mass-produced civilian car from the 1960s, while the Aquada was a technologically ambitious low-volume vehicle. Despite its performance, the Aquada never became a widely available mainstream product.