A look at Squba, world’s first underwater car
The Squba “flies” when underwater, like a submarine, as it is not designed to drive along the surface at the bottom of the waterarmed robbers
Touted as the “world’s first underwater flying car,” Rinspeed’s Squba was inspired by the 1977 James Bond film ‘ The Spy Who Loved Me’. Have a look...
When underwater, the occupants breathe air carried in the vehicle through scuba- style diving regulators. Without occupants, the Squba will surface automatically. The twin water jets mounted on rotating louvers at the front of the vehicle provide steering and lift while it is underwater and the propellers at the rear provide forward movement. Aquatic cars aren’t exactly cuttingedge. 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. 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. The Squba’s interior and occupants get soaking wet every
time they take a submarine spin. The first thing everyone wants to know when they see the Squba is: Why the heck would you make an underwater car a convertible? It does seem to be a significant drawback. But there are several good reasons for designing the car without a roof, however. To clear one, the Squba isn’t a convertible in the conventional sense. It’s an open- top car, designed not to have a roof at all. The first reason for the open design is safety. When an enclosed car falls into the water, the pressure of the water pressing against the doors and windows makes them difficult, if not impossible, to open until water fills the car and equalizes the pressure. So will you be able to test drive a Squba at your local dealer? Probably not. Rinspeed has no immediate plans to offer production models. The only existing one cost $ 1.5 million, with the makers targeting the super- rich at a cost “cheaper than a Rolls- Royce.” Culled from Techeblog. com