Aquatic cars aren't exactly cutting-edge. After all, in the 1960s, you could actually purchase an amphibious car -- the Quandt Amphicar. So the news that concept car designer Rinspeed would unveil a new aquatic car at the Geneva Motor Show in 2008 didn't seem likely to make a huge splash.

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sQuba
Photo courtesy of Rinspeed
The amphibious Rinspeed sQuba takes the plunge, James Bond-style. See more pictures of concept cars.
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But the sQuba does something a little unusual for a car, even an aquatic car -- it dives underwater and moves around freely like a small submarine. If the thought of cruising around below the waves exploring lake bottoms and visiting marine animals is appealing, imagine doing it in an open-top convertible. That's right, the sQuba's interior and occupants get soaking wet every time they take a submarine spin.

Video Gallery: The Amazing Underwater Car
In this video from Reuters, see the sQuba do its thing.

The whole idea seems a little strange, even illogical, until you ponder the logistics of submarine-automobile design. You probably haven't, but visionary car designer Frank M. Rinderknecht thought about it for 30 years, and his James Bond-inspired dream is now a reality. If you've always loved "The Spy Who Loved Me," you'll be pleased to know that the Rinspeed sQuba exists and can successfully navigate underwater environs in its own stately manner. You'd better bring goggles.

Silver Screen Inspiration
Rinderknecht's inspiration for creating the sQuba was the 1977 James Bond film "The Spy Who Loved Me." In the film, Bond faces a villain with a massive ship and sprawling undersea base. Q Branch, the department that provides Bond with his amazing gadgets (and the source of the sQuba's oddly capitalized name), offers up a Lotus Esprit fitted for submarine use which Bond promptly takes for a dive to escape some henchmen. Once in the water, the Esprit's tires retract, it sprouts fins and it zooms quickly to the underwater base.

Several Esprits were used to shoot the scenes, including one that was dropped into the water for the transition shot, and one that was converted for actual (albeit limited) submarine use. Two divers piloted the craft, which only had one gear -- forward. Although it was a hard-top car, the Esprit was not airtight. The driver's compartment was filled with water. A crane was needed to get it in and out of the water [source: QV500.com].

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