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It will forever remain one of the most iconic moments in cinematic history: The always cool James Bond, behind the wheel of sleek Lotus that not only preforms on land but, with the blessing of Q, had the ability to transform into a submarine.
No his name isn't Q, but Frank Rinderknecht of Rinspeed decided that he wanted a submersible Lotus of his own. Enter the sQuba.
With the Esprit now gone, Rinderknecht was left with only one choice, the Elise. After he and his team removed the gas motor to make way for the batteries, 3 electric motors, and a S.C.U.B.A type system to allow its passengers to breath (kinda important, don't you think?), the Little Elise was blessed with all the tools necessary to be a submersible.
On land, the motors provide a 75mph top speed, in the water 4 mph on the surface and 2mph underwater. The motor also provides the means for the sQuba to stay under water. Continuously buoyant, the motors have to actually push the car down to keep it under or to its maximum depth of 10m, a wonderful safety measure it would seem, as any mechanical failures bring the car right back to the surface.
The open nature of the car however, ensures that you'll never come out as suave as Bond.
Unfortunately, where Mr. Bond had his cool kit issued to him, this concept cost £750,000 (nearly $1.5 million) so if it ever does go for sale, well, if you have to ask...
Our take? It's like a childhood fantasy realized.
via Telegraph
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