rinspeed

When The Spy Who Loved Me hit theaters in 1977, the sight of a Lotus Esprit diving into the sea and transforming into a submarine was unforgettable. In reality,  the car-to-sub transformation was done through special effects trickery involving full-size car shells and miniatures to show every stage of transformation. But, after transformation, that submersible…

Frank M. Rinderknecht has built a career out of transforming cinematic fantasy into physical engineering. Few designers have embraced the playful, futuristic spirit of James Bond gadgets as wholeheartedly—or as credibly—as the founder of Rinspeed. His creations have long hovered at the boundary of science fiction, and none illustrate that better than two of his…