The Brilliant Lunacy of the Maddest Scientist in Motoring
Frank Rinderknecht never set out to be the Willy Wonka of the automotive world.
The mad scientist of motoring started out importing sunroofs into Europe. Then he tried his hand outfitting cars for handicapped drivers. Then he started modifying Porsches and helping a few German automakers with R&D. It was all normal enough. But then something snapped and he started doing things like building scuba-diving sports cars.
Rinderknecht discovered his penchant for the absurd 40 years ago. In the years since, he and his wild band of builders at Rinspeed have churned out the most daft ideas on four wheels. And sometimes six. And occasionally on — and under — water. The lunacy continues next week at the Geneva Motor Show, where Rinspeed will unveil the MicroMAX. It combines car-sharing and swarm algorithms to re-imagine urban driving. It’s far-fetched, yes, but ahead of its time — a recurring theme with some of Rinspeed’s farcical designs.
There is a method to his madness, though. Rinderknecht is always trying to solve problems. His solutions are smart, even if the execution is utterly and consistently ridiculous. Here’s two decades of proof.
X-Trem M.U.V.
Pickup trucks just aren’t as useful as they could be. Getting anything into the bed isn’t as quick or easy as Rinderknecht would like. So he built X-Tra-Lift.
The hydraulic lift mechanism — think Tommy Gate, but cooler — makes placing parcels in the bed a fast affair. It’s mounted in the bed of Rinspeed’s X-Trem M.U.V. concept. And what do you put into a truck that looks like the bastard child of a late-’90s Mercedes and a Chevy SSR? A hovercraft, of course.
There’s also a built-in humidor in the passenger compartment because, well, why not? You need somewhere to put your cigars, right? The X-Trem M.U.V. is street-legal — in Europe, anyway — and Rinspeed says he can put that hydraulic lift in your truck. Hovercraft not included.
Presto
The Presto is the Swiss army knife of automobiles. Driving in the city, you’ve got a compact convertible with seating for two. Press a button, the body extends another three feet and you’ve got seating for four. Drop the seats and you’ve got a makeshift truck bed. Parking and hauling have never been this easy. Or this embarrassing to drive.
Rinspeed claims the Presto has the same torsional rigidity of a standard convertible, so it won’t get floppy in the corners, and the pint-sized engine can run on either diesel or natural gas. And if you aren’t sure which way the Presto intends to go, the rear LEDs light up with the words “left,” “right” or “stop.”
sQuba
Everyone remembers James Bond’s awesome Lotus Esprit that was could go from high-speed power slides to underwater escapes in the 1977 flick The Spy Who Loved Me. You wanted one. Desperately. So did Rinderknecht. So he built one. Instead of using the aged Esprit, Rinspeed took the thoroughly more modern (yet hardly watertight) Lotus Elise to make the sQuba — part sports car, part submersible, completely nuts.
And he made it electric.
The engine was tossed in favor of three electric motors: one to turn the wheels on land and two to turn the screws under water. Drive into a lake and the sQuba floats. Open the doors and it takes on water, descending to a maximum depth of 33 feet.
But the Elise is a convertible, which is why Rinspeed provided a scuba tank for the passengers. And if that all wasn’t enough, Rinspeed claims the sQuba’s LIDAR system allows for autonomous operation.
Tatooo.com
The Tatooo was built in 2000, which explains the crazy name behind this crazy idea. “Tatooo.com — the play on words combines the emotional, erotic appeal of human body art with the three zeros that have come to symbolize the new millennium,” the company said when it unveiled this silliness. “The Internet address is a website for the vehicle, as well as its name.”
Oh, the aughts. But in reality, the Tatooo.com was about as forward-looking as the MiniDisc; a Swiss take on the classic American hot rod, complete with small block V8.
But being Rinspeed, there had to be an aquatic element, so enter the “Breathing Observation Bubble” or “B.O.B.” an underwater motor scooter that dives down 30 feet and looks about as practical as it does comfortable.
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