By Andrew Liszewski
Originally conceived in 1978 by Thomas Rowe the Bionic Dolphin has been in the making for many years now. Development of the prototype didn’t even begin until 1988 but eventually in September of 1992 the Dolphin made its first historic underwater ‘flight’.
Powered by a 400 horsepower small-block V8 (the same standard engine that powered the 2005 Corvette) the Bionic Dolphin can travel either on the surface of the water like a boat or completely submerged like a submarine. While the current models are only single-seaters Rowe has also designed a two-seat prototype that will serve as the production model. The Bionic Dolphin was scheduled to go on sale in early 2006 with a price tag of around $50,000 but looking at the website they still seem to be involved in the very important safety-testing stages.
[Bionic Dolphin] VIA [Gizmag]
