Eye To Eye

What? A swimming car? James Bond’s Lotus Esprit –a submarine vehicle with anti-aircraft missiles– was really something in “The Spy Who Loved Me”, but many people don’t know that amphibious cars do exist.

What? A swimming car? James Bond’s Lotus Esprit –a submarine vehicle with anti-aircraft missiles– was really something in “The Spy Who Loved Me”, but many people don’t know that amphibious cars do exist. And they work pretty well, too. Designed and built in Germany, these quirky nerd-mobiles first came on the market in 1961 and are now valued collector’s items.

The Amphicar isn’t actually a good car nor is it a good boat, but it’s one of the most original machines in automotive history. Boasting the classic vintage look of a 20th century American vehicle, its manufacturer was owned by BMW’s parent, the Quandt Group, whose proprietors now possess almost 48% percent of the German automobile giant. The only external element that betrays its adaptive superpowers is a pair of twin propellers which can only be seen from behind. 

American President Lyndon B. Johnson –owner of a sky-blue Amphicar now on display at the LBJ ranch in Texas– liked to play a joke on the people who went to visit him at his Stonewall estate. Offering his guests a ride around the property, he would take them up a steep hill atop the lake and let the car roll down towards the water, while shouting: “The brakes don’t work! We’re going in! We´re going under!”.

This year the annual Amphicar get-together has taken place on October 10th at Lake Mead in Las Vegas. And since images are as infinite as are the worldly eyes of the beholders, one can’t help but wonder what Cuban citizens might think when seeing pictures of the event. As is known, hundreds of them try to flee the island on cars and trucks –old 1950s and 1960s Buicks and Chevrolets– turned into boats and lose their lives during the perilous journey.