It wasn't long ago that the idea of a car converting into a submarine was nothing more than a film-industry fantasy. But in the past few years, modern-day mad scientists have turned this and other mind-blowing amphibious vehicles into reality. The Rinspeed sQuba, for example, is a Lotus Elise with five electric motors, two propellers and a couple of jet nozzles that let it dive and swim underwater, much like the Lotus Esprit that James Bond drove in "The Spy Who Loved Me." While the one-off sQuba might cost $1.5 million to build, other amazing amphibious cars cost much less and make the quaint old Amphicars and SchwimmWagens of decades past seem like antique bathtub toys. Here are our picks for eight of the coolest aqua rides.

Bing: Amphibious Cars