Kevin's Penguin and Beaver Page
Latest Additions - 11 August 2007 Added a photo of an original hitch installed on a Penguin. 27 July 2007 - Added a sketch of the Penguin trailer hitch. 10 July 2007 - Added a copy of the article from Dapper Magazine - Scroll down to the bottom of this page for other additions
Penguins in The Park 2007
THE SHOW IS OVER FOR THIS YEAR, it was Sunday June 24th. Stephen, John and Paul were there to display a recently restored Model D Penguin. I had my original D model there too. We had lots of spectators drop in and ask questions about our machines and the local paper took some photos of Stephen in his Penguin. After the show we went to the building that Pengor occupied in 1964 and took a few pictures.
What I Know About the Penguin
Well for starters, they look like this ;
What is a Penguin ?
The Penguin is a 4 wheeled, two seater vehicle. It is amphibious. On land top speeds of up to 40 mph were claimed , and in the water 4 mph is its limit. It is two wheel drive and is powered by a two stroke gasoline engine driving the rear wheels through a 4-speed transmission. Water propulsion is provided by the rear wheels only.
It is 48" wide, 75" long, 30" high and weighs approximately 420 lbs.
Penguin History
The first Penguin was built in Toronto, Ontario sometime in 1962. In 1963 a small manufacturing plant was leased in Ottawa, Ontario by Pengor Ltd. and production began. In April, 1964 the Ottawa plant was forced to close down and production moved to Carleton Place, Ontario. In November of 1964 the Company filed for bankruptcy, and in May, 1965 an auction was held to sell off complete machines, parts etc. The total number of machines built was approximately 800.
Penguins were built in various colours. They have fibreglass bodies that were either all yellow (top, bottom, seats, battery cover and engine cover), or white top and engine cover, with the bottom, seats and battery cover red, green or blue . The one shown above was originally white and red. It appears that at least the top and bottom of the bodies and the seats were made by Polyfibre Ltd of Renfrew, Ontario.
Accessories available included : Windshield, Rear Cargo Rack, Padded Seat Cushions(shown above), Cockpit Cover (also shown above), Skiis, Amphibious Trailer, Trailer Hitch , Tow Bar.
There were 3 different models built that I am aware of, tagged "A","B" and "D". It appears that the "A" was the first model built. It used "turf saver" style rear tires and cast aluminum paddles for water propulsion. The "B" models used Terra-Tread tires without paddles, and the "D" was heavier due to thicker fibreglass construction, and geared lower. There are slight variations in body design, but I am not sure if they are model specific. I have one Penguin with hand brake levers on the steering yoke, so this appears to be an option/model variation as well.
Penguin Facts
Penguins are powered by a Villiers 2-stroke, 197cc engine, with a 4-speed transmission, fan-cooling and an electric starter-generator or "Dynastart" as they were called. They did not have an actual "reverse gear", but if you wanted to go backwards you shut the engine off, pushed the key in and restarted it with the crankshaft turning in the opposite direction. This gave you 4 gears to go backwards with as well !
As stated above, Penguins are two wheel drive, and seat two side by side. Top speed on land is reportedly 25 - 40 mph depending on the model, with water speed given as 4 mph. They have no suspension, and the steering yoke swings right and left, instead of rotating as a steering wheel would. The throttle is located in the centre of the steering yoke and can be operated by either thumb. There is a brake pedal on the floor, and a gear shift between the seats. The dash houses the ignition switch, head/tail light switch, horn button, neutral indicator light, generator light and the passenger grab handle. The choke control and clutch lever are mounted on the shift lever. From neutral, you pull the gear shift up for first gear, then push down for second, third and fourth. The engine is located behind the seats, almost directly over the rear axle. There is no differential on the rear axle, and on hard ground the Penguin has a large turning radius. In the water however, the Penguin will "turn on a dime". Carrying capacity on land is 600 lbs, in the water, 300 lbs max. The Penguin weighs approx 420 lbs empty.
Penguins were tested by the Canadian Military in 1964, I have seen a copy of the proposed tests, but not the results of the testing.
A blue and white Penguin complete with trailer was presented to Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth during a Royal Visit to Canada, in October, 1964. Click HERE to see a photo of the interior of the Royal Penguin.
Penguin Brochure "B" Model (in French)
What I know about the "Beaver"
Sometime after the Bankruptcy Auction at Pengor in Carleton Place, a somewhat similar vehicle called the "Beaver" was produced by Wheeler Mobile Ltd, of Keswick, Ontario. This one was purchased as a demo model in 1967:
If you don't look too closely at it from behind you could easily mistake it for a Penguin. I do not know how many were made, or when production started or stopped. I have seen a magazine article from 1970 that contains Beaver information, so I assume they were still being built at that time.
The Beaver has a fibreglass body , slightly longer and wider than the Penguin. I have only seen one colour - red all over, but I am told they were also available in Green Metalflake. They used a Villiers engine like the Penguin, and you could choose from either a 197cc or 173cc model. The drive chain layout, brake system and rear axle assembly are almost identical to the Penguin, most of the parts are interchangeble. The steering / front axle layout is very different from the Penguin, as can be seen in the photos. They did use the same steering yoke and throttle lever, as well as brake pedal, headlights, taillight, dash layout, passenger and deck handle, and front and rear tires and rims. The Beaver I have does have a brake light and the Penguins do not. The ignition switch is turned to the right to start the engine in "forward" and to the left for "reverse". I do not know if there were different models of the Beaver produced, other than the 197cc and 173cc versions, I do know the body molding was changed slightly between 1967 and 1968.
As far as available accessories go , the Beaver pictured above came with : storage cover, windshield, seat cushions, carpet, floor mats, radio, amphibious trailer with storage cover, chrome trailer hitch, brake light and transport trailer. The amber reflectors on the machine pictured above were added by the previous owner.
Penguin / Beaver Parts and Service Tips
Please let me know what you think of my page, good, bad or otherwise. If you now own one of
these machines or did in the past, I would be very interested in hearing from you, your
experiences with them, any suggestions or questions you may have, etc. Please E-Mail me at
"Kevin_Percy@hotmail.com"
Many Thanks to everyone who has provided information which appears on this page !
Penguins and Beavers In Print / On Film
There is an article on the Penguin in the January 1965 issue of Motor Trend, page 48.
There is an article on the Penguin in the October 1969 issue of Dappper magazine. View the article HERE
There is a photo of the Presentation to the Royal Couple in Royal Canada by Trevor Hall, page 66, (check your nearest Used Book Store) there is also footage of the Presentation (approx. 15-20 sec.) on the Video The Queen in Canada 1964, available in VHS format (ID NO. 113B0164180) from The National Film Board of Canada.
There is an article on the Penguin in the February 1965 issue of Mechanix Illustrated , page 76.
The Beaver is mentioned in article in the August 1970 issue of Field and Stream , in an ATV's Buyers's Guide article. Click HERE to see the article on Route6x6.com
There is a Photo of a Penguin in an article on the Great Salt Lake in the August 1967 copy of National Geographic on Page 253
There is a brief appearance by a Yellow Penguin in the Movie Deux Femmes En Or (Two Women in Gold), a film shot around Montreal in 1970. The Penguin is shown in the first 5 minutes or so. Watch your TV Listings, this film is till shown late saturday nights.
I think a Penguin was in a "Mazda Wheels of Summer" commercial, but I only saw the commercial once and the Penguin was only shown in the background for a second.
Links
Photos from the Kay Family Archives ! A peek inside the factory and some photos taken for use in brochures as well as the Parts List for the B and D models. Ed Kay was the president of Pengor and designed the Penguin. Thanks to the Kay family for sharing these !
The Source for Amphibious Vehicle Information. Interested in Amphibians in General ? Here is a site that has a listing of Military and Civilian units from all over the world.
Route6x6.com A very useful and helpful site containing information about AATV's from the '60's to present.
What did the minds behind the Penguin come up with next ? Look Here !
Interested in old snowmobiles ? You might be a Sled Head ! Check out this site - Free Classifieds for old snowmobiles.oldsledheads.com
Updates
