Rinspeed has produced some of the weirdest and sometimes most innovative cars in the motoring industry – even though none of them were ever put on the mass market. Most of their creations are based on existing cars and share similar design cues, but the resemblance ends there.
Rinspeed is a Swiss concept car builder and mobility visionary which was founded in 1979. Their first car was unveiled in 1992 and was called the Speed-Art. It was a lightly modified Nissan 300ZX repainted by Swiss artist Rolf Knie to feature 420 black and white horses, to go with the 420-hp engine. While weird, it was still on the tame side of the Rinspeed spectrum, as their next car was the Rinspeed Veleno – a green 550-hp Dodge Viper RT/10. From there, they went on to create a modified Bugatti EB110, called the Cyan, which had a weird spoiler in the middle of the car.
Each creation after that became more and more outlandish and impractical, though they continued and are still producing interesting and strange cars to this day. Here are 8 of the absolute weirdest Rinspeed creations over the years.
12 1999 X-Trem M.U.V.
The Rinspeed X-Trem Multi Utility Vehicle was designed to resemble that of a pickup truck as, according to the company’s founder Frank M. Rinderknecht, pickup trucks are popular in the US. So, the X-Trem M.U.V. is fitted with a bed in which to fit the world’s smallest functional hovercraft – because why not.
While the bed tilts and swivels to help load the hovercraft, the vehicular creation is also fitted with a small crane to make loading and unloading much easier. Contrary to the bold and outside-the-box styling, under the hood is a 347 hp Mercedes-Benz 5.5-liter V8 mated to an automatic transmission, with power going to all four wheels. This drivetrain propels the yellow pickup to 60 mph in only 6.9 seconds and on to a top speed of 140 mph. Quite an impressive performance from something so outlandish.
11 2000 Tatooo.com
The Tatooo.com (yes with three ‘o’s and a URL) is another pickup truck-like creation, this time aimed even more at the US market. Reminiscent of hot-rod pickups from the 1960s, the Tatooo.com features a more developed version of the ‘X-Tra-Lift’ crane from the X-Trem M.U.V. from the previous year.
This time around, the object which is lifted into the bed is a ‘Breathing Observation Bubble’ diving apparatus. It is essentially a submarine suit with enough oxygen and battery for an hour of looking at fishes, all while wearing a mask that ‘looks like Darth Vader’. Yes, really.
10 2002 Presto
The 2002 Presto is one of Rinspeed’s more interesting creations. It is a heavily modified Mercedes-Benz A-Class that can extend and contract like a telescope. The Presto is designed to be a small city runabout that is easy to maneuver and park, but can offer space for four when needed.
The Presto is focused on being environmentally friendly, so it’s fitted with a 1.7-liter turbodiesel inline-4 engine which produces 120 hp. The engine was also modified to run on natural gas, greatly increasing efficiency and eco-friendliness. Despite this, the Presto is one weird car.
9 2003 Bedouin
Rinspeed
The Bedouin reverted back to Rinspeed’s interest in pickup trucks. It started life as a Porsche 911 which then got a wide-body kit, a lift kit, and some leather and crystal on the interior. The bed could move from being the floor to being the roof, creating a sort of temporary shelter – almost like a tent.
The Bedouin was powered by a Porsche flat-6 which was modified to be able to run on natural gas, making it the fastest natural gas-powered car of its day – achieving an incredible 155 mph. To top this – the special paint scheme had crushed Swarovski crystals in it, giving off a sparkle in the sunlight. Fancy.
8 2004 Splash
With this model, Rinspeed started liking boats and so built a hydrofoil from a car. In car mode, the Splash looks like a rather weird kit car, however – drive it into the water, and a series of electric motors folds, swivels, and deploys a set of hydrofoils from the sides of the car. It also then deploys a propeller out the rear, capable of propelling the Splash to a top speed of 45 knots – or around 50 mph.
The Splash is also capable of traversing water without the hydrofoils deployed, achieving a top speed of around 30 mph. The Splash is powered by a 140 hp two-cylinder turbocharged engine, which solely runs on natural gas.
7 2005 Senso
Labeled as ‘the most sensuous car on the planet’, the Rinspeed Senso is one weird-looking car. It has the sort of futuristic automotive design – which is associated with the early 2000s – coupled with wheels looking as if they might be at home at a donk convention.
The Senso is powered by a 3.2-liter flat-6 from a Porsche Boxster, with modifications to allow it to run on both gasoline and natural gas at the same time – cutting emissions down by 30%. The Senso is a striking car to look at, but we are grateful its design language didn’t find its way into a production car.
6 2006 zaZen
Another Porsche-based design, the zaZen featured a completely transparent roof. It was also painted entirely white, with orange wheels and an orange interior. It had the 6-cylinder out of a 911 Carrera S, following the tradition of being powered by natural gas.
The zaZen’s paint-job, like the Bedouin, featured Swarovski crystals, sparkled even more and the interior featured a one-of-a-kind version of treated wood. The whole car is a bit more focused on luxury and extravagance, rather than quirky features.
5 2008 sQuba
The Rinspeed sQuba was all over the news when it was unveiled in 2008. It was a Lotus Elise submarine, built to be the real version of the Lotus Esprit from the 1977 James Bond movie, The Spy Who Loved Me.
The sQuba lacks a roof, meaning the occupants would need to wear scuba suits, but apart from that, it is a real, working submersible car. Unlike their previous concept cars, the sQuba is fully electric and has zero emissions. It uses its electric motors to power the rear wheels and the propeller at the rear – resulting in an agile underwater vehicle.
4 2011 BamBoo
The BamBoo can be seen as a re-imagining of the classic Mini Moke beach buggy. It has the same basic design elements and styling as the Mini Moke, although it is lifted to appear more off-road orientated.
The BamBoo is powered by electric motors producing just 70 hp, but it is capable of a top speed of 70 mph and had a range of 65 miles. Then again, this was intended to be a weekend holiday car to drive to the beach and back with.
3 2012 Dock+Go
The Dock+Go is one of the tamer and equally weirder Rinspeed cars. It is a Smart Fortwo attachment that turns the car into an extremely impractical pickup truck. The Dock+Go is electric, offering around 60 miles of range, along with the ‘bed’ doubling as an isothermal box to keep warm foods warm and cool drinks cool.
Rinspeed calls the Dock+Go a ‘Variohybrid’, thanks to the gasoline engine in the Smart car and the batteries and electric motors in the ‘backpack’ – as Rinspeed calls it. The Dock+Go can even act as an inverter, providing power to the owner’s residence. Clever, though this vehicle won’t win any beauty pageants.
2 2013 microMAX
The microMAX is an autonomous box on wheels designed to ‘swarm cities as today’s taxis do’. While not an entirely new concept in the automotive world, the microMAX embodies Rinspeed’s opinions on this type of vehicle.
The microMAX was about the size of a new Mini but offered much more room inside thanks to the lack of steering controls. The interior had enough space for four adults and all of their skiing equipment – according to the press release. With autonomous cars still in development, it may only be a matter of time before we see the Rinspeed microMAX on the streets.
1 2016 Etos
The Rinspeed Etos was unveiled at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show and was based on the BMW i8 hybrid. Apart from the chassis and drivetrain, the entire car was changed. The interior featured two 21.5-inch screens – one for each passenger – and the steering wheel could be stowed away completely during autonomous driving.
On the exterior, the body was completely redesigned and on the rear engine cover, a completely configurable screen was installed. The best feature was a drone stowed in the engine bay, which could be used to automatically fly around the car – or which could be remotely controlled. Since the Etos, Rinspeed has continued making weird and whacky concept cars. We, however, do not mind one bit.
