You might have heard bout the journey of Mait Nilson - the Estonian engineer who intends to travel around the world in his purpose-built amphibious vehicle. He's called his creation the Amphibear, and it's capable of travelling around 220 km on water a day. Having spent all his money on creating the hybrid 'water car', Nilson is now looking for sponsorship to hit the road / sea. You can see the vehicle - which can change from road to water mode - in action below:

The amphibious car - or 'amphicar' - idea has been around for years, with even US President Lyndon B. Johnson having driven one:

But in recent years engineers have grown more ambitious, and the internet is loaded with examples of adaptable vehicles. Some are very impressive indeed, while others are just plain wacky. 

Some of the best examples are embedded below, although we have to wonder what it is about amphibious vehicles that makes so many video-makers associate with loud, cheesy music...

Armies have long-since been capable of transporting soldiers via land and sea. DARPA offer a new take on the transporter idea for disaster relief purposes:

The designers of the WaterCars Panther seem to think scantily clad people are necessary to promote their speedy creation:

Here's something a little more mobile, adding new emphasis to the 'all' in 'all terrain vehicle':

We still prefer the classic design:

Rinspeed has gone one step further than anyone, though. They asked the pressing question "why settle for a water car when you can have an underwater car?". Their answer is below. James Bond and Q would be proud.

Main image: Wikimedia Commons