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Hyper-Sub Is an Insane Navy-Approved Speedboat-Submarine and We Want One

Is your private Batcave looking a little dated these days? Sure, you’ve got your gravity jetpack, a stable of flying cars, and a bevy of other personal craft to get you where you need to go. But those are so last month. What you don’t have is a personal, Navy-approved speedboat submarine. We’re not talking about a speedboat and a submarine. We’re talking about an all-in-one, fully submersible, Bond villain-style powerboat. Meet Hyper-Sub.

Hyper Sub/Facebook

Topside, the Hyper-Sub looks like a futuristic speedboat. Only the curved, fully-enclosed cockpit, racecar-esque silhouette, and exaggerated spoiler hint at something more. As a boat, it’s capable of launching from most typical docks, beaches, and marinas. Twin 480-horsepower Yanmar 6LY3-ETP diesel engines push the vessel to a cruising speed of 26 knots (30 miles per hour) with a 6,000-pound hauling capacity. By the numbers, it’s as versatile, functional, and economical as most other 900-horse speedboats.

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Below the surface is where things get a lot more interesting. In “submarine mode,” Hyper-Sub is capable of on-demand diving up to 1,200 feet. Twin electric-powered thrusters propel it to a top speed of six miles per hour. The state-of-the-art design allows the vessel to submerge and resurface almost indefinitely, recharging its batteries and oxygen supply along the way. With the help of a snorkel, it can even sail semi-submerged. If necessary, onboard emergency systems ensure the Hyper-Sub can surface rapidly even if the cabin is completely flooded. If inverted in extreme weather, it also has the capability of automatically righting itself.

Hyper Sub/Facebook

The modular design consists of two parts: the Sea-Frame (including the pontoons and propulsion system) and the Dry Chamber (the cockpit and passenger cabin). Separating these components allows the vessel’s owner to use a single Sea-Frame with an infinite number of uniquely configured cabins. One Dry Chamber could be customized for pleasure cruising; one could be outfitted with research equipment; while a third could be armored and armed for storming the lair of your archnemesis (note: we couldn’t find this option anywhere in their marketing literature, but a boy can dream, right?). The sky — er, the ocean — and your wallet are the limit.

July 2018 Hyper Sub Video MPG2

The Hyper-Sub is nothing new. In fact, news stories of the vessel’s production date back more than a decade, and the research project itself is years older than that. Similar concepts like the Migaloo submersible superyacht have been bandied about for almost as long. However, Hyper-Sub appears to be among the first to make it beyond the concept phase — so much so that it has the U.S. military very excited indeed.

With the right discretionary income (best guesses put the price tag north of $3.5 million) or if your name happens to be “U.S. Marine Corps,” you might be able to score a Hyper-Sub of your very own. If not, you’ll just have to settle for a boat garage with a speedboat or a submarine. Lame.

The Rolls-Royce Phantom Syntopia brings haute fashion to cars
Rolls claims that the one-off is the most complex Phantom ever made
Rolls-Royce Phantom Syntopia side profile in a studio with purple swirling lines in the back.

Amid the electric vehicle revolution and the introduction of more semi-autonomous technology, automakers are eager to change their bios from traditional automakers to tech companies. Rolls-Royce, well, Rolls-Royce is different. While the iconic British marque has introduced its first EV with the Spectre, Rolls-Royce really does expand its reach beyond the world of cars as a luxury marque. Case in point, the latest vehicle from Rolls-Royce is the Phantom Syntopia. It was made in collaboration with Dutch fashion designer Iris van Herpen and blends the worlds of high fashion and cars.
You may not think that fashion and cars belong together, but the Syntopia certainly makes a case for more collaboration across the two industries. The Syntopia is very purple and is inspired by the concept of “weaving water.” The automaker, which has created some stunning vehicles over its extensive history, calls the Syntopia a “bespoke masterpiece.” Heavy words from a brand that’s known for going above and beyond with some of the most bespoke vehicles on sale. But we believe the company certainly went to great lengths to make the Syntopia, seeing as how it took Rolls-Royce four years to perfect.

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This is what the fastest motorcycle in the world looks like now
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2021 Kawasaki Ninja H2R

Modern motorcycles have been through several advancements in design, powertrains, and electronics over the past few years. This makes the current crop of bikes some of the fastest machines – even when you include cars – on the planet. Things have been picking up speed since the 1990s and some of the fastest motorcycles of all time are modern sportbikes. A lot of motorcycle manufacturers have been simply estimating the speed of their bikes since they can’t just ask a rider to test drive their bikes at top speed. 

The reason for why motorcycles are much quicker in a straight line than cars comes down to their power-to-weight ratio. A 500-pound motorcycle with 200 horsepower will offer a similar power-to-weight ratio as a supercar with four times the amount of power because there's a good chance that it weighs four times as much. Plus, without any doors, motorcycles have a greater sense of speed than cars, as 25 mph can feel like you're doing 100. 

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Despite its recognizable design, Mercedes’ best-seller has been fully redesigned
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2023 Mercedes-Benz GLC front end angle from passenger's side parked in front of mountains during sunset.

It’s no secret that the Mercedes-Benz GLC is the German automaker’s most popular model. Last year, Mercedes sold 342,900 units of the compact SUV globally. A staggering figure. Things, though, don’t slow down in the luxury class and after seven model years on sale, Mercedes believes 2023 is the right time to come out with a fully redesigned GLC and has officially announced pricing for the SUV. The automaker unveiled the redesigned GLC last June, but here's a quick recap if you missed it.
It’s not entirely surprising to see Mercedes roll out a new GLC for the 2023 model year. The GLC shares a platform, tech features, and powertrains with the C-Class. Given that the two models are closely related to one another, it only makes sense to see a new GLC that’s based on the C-Class.

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