A pioneering Swiss company has invented, the sQuba.
Other than driving the car on land, it can be driven on sea like a boat and goes underwater like a submarine. It’s the world’s first underwater car and it’s a convertible.
The sQuba will be exhibited at the Geneva Motor Show next month. The prototype, which can dive to a depth of 10 metres, is the brainchild of concept car designer Frank Rinderknecht, 52.
Rinspeed’s head, Frank Rinderknecht, is a James Bond enthusiast who has dreamed of making the amphibious vehicle come true.
"For three decades I have tried to imagine how it might be possible to build a car that can fly under water," said Rinderknecht in a statement. "Now we have made this dream come true."
If driven into water it will float and operate as a boat.
Two propellers positioned either side of the rear number plate push it along.
But open a door and the car begins to dive.
Under water, one of its three battery-powered engines sucks in water through the car’s front grille and pushes it out of its two side jet vents. The car can descend up to 10 metres (32.8 feet) underwater.
It is these two jets, mounted on swivelling heads, which manoeuvre the car up, down, left and right.
"It is not an easy task to make a car watertight and pressure-resistant enough to be manoeuvrable underwater."
The team at Mr Rinderknecht’s Switzerland-based firm Rinspeed replaced the Lotus Elise’s petrol engine with three electric motors, one to power the rear wheels and two for the specially designed propellers, fitted either side of the rear numberplate, that allow it to travel underwater.
The car is capable of speeds of up to 120 km/h on land, 6.4 km/h cruising in "boat" mode and 3.2 km/h beneath the surface.
Unlike the Bond original, the modern version has an open top. The interior is made from waterproof plastics, which allow water to drain off when the car surfaces.
The convertible sports car transforms into an underwater vehicle in which passengers breathe with the help of compressed air masks. Occupants have to wear wetsuits to stay dry and breathe air from an integrated tank similar to that used by scuba divers. The vehicle can stay underwater until it runs out of air or battery power, normally about two hours.
"It is undoubtedly not an easy task to make a car watertight and pressure resistant enough to be maneuverable under water," said Rinderknecht. "The real challenge however was to create a submersible car that moves like a fish in water."
The main reason for having an open cabin is safety. Aesthetic appeal aside, the open-top design of the car is actually a safety feature that permits passengers to get out quickly during an emergency and avert the problem of excessive water pressure on the windows of a closed car.
Mr Rinderknecht explained: "Even at one metre depth, the water pressure would keep the doors closed so you could not get out in an emergency. With an enclosed cabin, opening the door might be impossible."
Sadly, those taken by the sQuba may never be able to get their hands on it as there are no plans to put it into production.
"We don’t plan to build it, even in a limited capacity," said Mr Rinderknecht.
"But if someone wants to take up the project that would be great."
The invention will be presented at the car show in Geneva, which opens to the press March 4 and runs for the public from March 6 through March 16.