Gallery: The Brilliant Lunacy of the Maddest Scientist in Motoring
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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.
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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. http://www.youtube.com/embed/eknF1KW1D6M
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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." http://www.youtube.com/embed/i8oYTnY4CnQ
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Splash ------ It's not enough to make an amphibious car. Those are *so* 1961. No, Rinspeed built a road-going hydrofoil. Envisioned as the ultimate toy for the 1 percent, the Splash transports its ultra-wealthy occupants in one of three forms: a two-seat sports car, a casual cruising boat or a high-speed hydrofoil that skims 2 feet over the water and hits a top speed of nearly 50 mph. That's enough, as Rinspeed claims, to tow a pair of water-skiers. But where to put the skis? http://www.youtube.com/embed/BFeJJJxH\_K8
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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.
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Senso ----- Ford has been tinkering with a system that senses your heartbeat and attention and stress levels, then transmit that info to your smartphone to let you know you're stressed. It's all very leading edge, if somewhat silly. And Rinderknecht offered it almost 10 years ago — with aromatherapy, no less. The Senso collects scads of information about you — everything from heart rate to eye tracking — while you're driving, then uses that information to adapt the interior of the car to suit your mood. Feeling stressed? The electroluminescent lighting will shift to a more calming hue, while the ventilation system pumps a pleasant vanilla-mandarin scent to ease your mood. Feeling drowsy? No problem. You get the picture. The car also has seating for three. Why? Because Rinspeed. http://www.youtube.com/embed/k-\_GAJlcngg
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Bedouin ------- Porschophiles, avert your eyes. This will hurt. Ten years ago, Rinspeed took the always awesome Porsche 911 and made it into a pickup truck four-seat wagon thing. At the push of a button, two electric motors drive jackscrews that lift the roof of the Bedouin, folding it up and over to form a tailgate window. Cargo can fit out back, but Rinspeed suggests using the bed "as a modern tent replacement and romantic bunk for leisurely rests." Not that anyone's going to enjoy a romantic "leisurely rest" in a mutilated Carrera that looks like an extra in Starship Troopers.. Bedouin isn't just about utility. Rinspeed loves converting vehicles to natural gas, and when Bedouin appeared, it was the the fastest natural gas vehicle in the world. Yes, that's kind of like being the coolest Yugo in the world, but you can't argue with 420 horsepower, a zero to 60 sprint of 5.9 seconds and a top speed of 155. But it's still not fast enough to outrun ugly. http://www.youtube.com/embed/xJRUWT-mU5U
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Dock+Go ------- The Smart ForTwo is anathema to everything that's good and enjoyable about driving. It's also utterly impractical for anyone living outside of a cramped metropolis. Which is why Rinspeed gave it a backpack. The Dock+Go is essentially a modular, customizable trailer with a twist. Not only can it be used to store gear, house a small home entertainment system or, according to Rinspeed, deliver pizzas in its "built-in isothermal box," but that trailer is a range-extender if you're one of the unlucky SOBs driving the [Smart Fortwo Electric Drive](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/autopia/2011/04/smart-electric-drive/) . Towed behind a ForTwo Electric Drive, the trailer can carry a range-extending engine, an additional batter or a fuel cell to keep the juice flowing. Think of it as the [Chevrolet Volt](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/reviews/2011/04/chevy-volt/)'s really ugly stepsister. http://www.youtube.com/embed/7rSP-D0eo9Y
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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. http://www.youtube.com/embed/i-CDcYmCL10
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eXasis ------ Less weight equals more fun. But since this is Rinspeed, they've taken it to the illogical extreme. Rather than do something track-oriented like the Ariel Atom or KTM X-Bow, Rinspeed went for ultra efficiency. The chassis is tubular aluminum and the body is a lightweight plastic composite cooked up by Bayer Material Sciences. But even with a puny 150 horsepower, 750cc two-cylinder engine, the 1,600-pound eXasis has a better power-to-weight ratio than a Corvette. And no, we don't know what's up with the horse. http://www.youtube.com/embed/24hMrw3Tksw
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microMAX -------- Forget buses or subways. The future of urban transport — in Rinspeed's world, anyway — is compact, electric, autonomous, crowdsourced and connected. Rinspeed had more than its share of absurd and outlandish ideas, but microMAX actually makes sense, and is firmly rooted in reality — albeit a reality several decades in the future. An app on your smartphone summons one of these three-passenger rolling toasters, which you can either share with other riders or go alone. The boffins at Harman created software dubbed "UrbanSWARM" that taps the power of the cloud to find the best route based on road and congestion conditions, while inside, riders are treated to a loungy atmosphere with Wi-Fi, fridge, coffee maker and enough space to stash your shopping bags or a bike. It might not be in the same Nutty Professor territory of Rinderknecht's past, but it might be an indication that Rinspeed is finally getting serious about the future of mobility, sans psychedelics. http://www.youtube.com/embed/pR8FopEu5vQ
