The name's Speed, Rinspeed, and they've just made your Bond fantasies come true. No, not that kind of fantasy, but they've just engineered a Lotus that can travel underwater, just like car in the James Bond movie, The Spy who Loved me. They've even made it white! The Elise they've chosen differs from the movie's Espirit in two major ways: it's a convertible, and it is driven by three electric motors. On land, one motor drives the rear wheels, and the other two drive the screw that propels it on water, or under its surface.
It manages to get to a respectable 124kmph on land, but that reduces to 5kmph on water, and 3kmph under the surface, with a maximum diving depth of 30 feet. Making it a convertible may sound foolhardy, but when you consider the buoyancy that a cabin of enclosed air will contribute to the car, it makes a whole lot more sense – also, should something go wrong underwater, the doors will not open due to the difference in pressure. Another safety feature the car has is foam-filled cells, enough to give it positive buoyancy. Air for respiration is provided to the occupants via onboard tanks and is good for two hours – more than enough for a dip. We'd like a free wetsuit to go with it, though.
Unfortunately for the world, Rinspeed has no intention to build this car and sell it to those with the money and desire to purchase one of these – the example you see in the pictures is a one-off concept car that cost them a million Euros to build. Bring it to India, we say – we've got people here who can afford to buy and maintain Ferraris and Lamborghinis, and therefore will have the capability to buy one of these. What's more, they won't need to keep it safe from moisture in the monsoon in Mumbai – they can merely drive through the most flooded streets without a care in the world, except maybe for leptospirosis.
Biggest advantage, though, is no need to take it through the car wash. Just give your swimming pool a ramp.
