FutureWire - futurism and emerging technology

Tuesday, June 14, 2005

Crusin' the Strait of Florida

Last week, an "amphicar" built by Cuban would-be emigre Rafael Diaz Rey was intercepted by US officials on its way from Cuba to Florida. The car, a converted 1948 Mercury taxi, was Diaz' third attempt to reach the US by converting a car into a boat.



While hardly futuristic, these amphicars are about as innovative as anything, incorporating a combination of found materials, mechanical skill and old fashioned ingenuity. The endeavor speaks volumes about the lengths smart people in Cuba will go to both leave their homeland and reach the US. It would seem that any country would consider itself fortunate to count as a citizen someone as clever and courageous as Diaz.

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