The new line of General Motors ocean vessels is both quite retro & impressive. See your dealer for a test float!

U.S. Coast Guard vessel approaching a group of Cubans, as they tried to sail a 1959 Buick converted into a boat through the Florida Straits towards the United States, on Feb. 3, 2004. The same group had already tried last July to reach Florida in a vessel made from a 1951 Chevy truck, only to be picked up by U.S. Coast Guard & sent home. The Coast Guard intercepted the bright green "Buick-boat" on during its journey over the 90-mile (140-km) stretch between Cuba & Florida.

Marciel Basanta Lopez & Luis Grass Rodriguez, the men who turned the classic car into a floating vessel, tried a similar stunt last summer & were caught: they set out for Florida in a 1951 Chevy pickup with pontoons made out of empty oil drums & a propeller that pushed it along at about 12Km an hour. Marciel Basanta Lopez and

On Feb. 2, the men set out again in the 1959 Buick, with 4 other adults & 5 children. U.S. Coast Guard intercepted the group late Feb. 3 en route to the Florida Keys, picking them up about 16km off Marathon -- about 150km SW of Miami. Marcel said coast guard sank the Buick. The coast guard refused to confirm the floating car's status but it used machine-gun fire to sink the first "vehicle-powered barge".

The 1959 Buick's doors had been sealed to keep water out & it was powered by its original V-8 motor, said Eduardo Perez Grass, who was among those on the earlier attempt to reach the United States. Geez, these guys deserve jobs at Dearborn!