United Kingdom billionaire Richard Branson made the fastest crossing of the English Channel in an amphibious vehicle Monday to publicize the 20th anniversary of Virgin Atlantic Airways' trans-Atlantic flights.

"We had a couple of big ferry waves that engulfed us," said Branson, 53, who co-piloted the fastest trans-Atlantic balloon in 1986. "It's slightly safer than ballooning maybe."

Virgin Atlantic, 49-per-cent owned by Singapore Airlines Inc., made its first flight from London to Newark, N.J., on June 22, 1984. The carrier last year had pretax profit of £15.7-million ($39.3-million) on revenue of £1.4-billion.

Branson said he will offer the Aquada car to carry Virgin Atlantic Upper Class passengers between London's financial district and the capital's airports via the River Thames.

"Why not pick people up from the city? Then, if there is a traffic jam or congestion, take people onto the Thames, and when the traffic eases, we can whisk them off to Heathrow," Branson said.

The Aquada is made by Nuneaton, England-based Gibbs Technologies Ltd. and can reach speeds of more than 160 km/h on land and 48 km/h on calm water. The wheels lift when the car enters the water, and the engine powers a jet-propulsion system.

Branson was accompanied on the crossing by a Gibbs engineer. The previous record of six hours was set in the 1960s by two Frenchmen.

"It feels great to take a French record back to England," Branson said. On Sunday, France's national soccer team defeated England's 2-1 at the Euro 2004 tournament. "It isn't quite as important as the football, but now it feels important."

Branson left Dover at about 9 a.m. local time accompanied by a Virgin Atlantic A340-300 plane flying 90 metres above the sea and a flotilla of small boats carrying friends, family, press and frequent flyers.