It seems like almost ever since Gottlieb Daimler and Carl Benz began to put the world and his wife on four wheels at the end of the 19 century, mankind has wanted to make the car something else entirely.

And with some success, giving us planes (AeroMobil, Terrafugia TF-X) works of art (Gerry Judah’s sculptures for the Goodwood Festival of Speed) and … boats.

How many times have you switched on the TV news during a spell of foul winter weather to see drivers trying to ford waterlogged roads, often with disastrous results (it takes only six inches of water to ‘drown’ most cars’ engines)?

And what if you live somewhere that is regularly made inaccessible by rising water? The answer is, you need a car that swims.

Just ask drivers heading for Northumberland’s dramatic Holy Island where the causeway's tides left three cars stranded in 24 hours. One was left underwater about a mile along the route, while a foot of water was enough to disable a second car. Car number three was abandoned in similar circumstances and found by the coastguard.

Scott Wilson, a national newspaper sports editor who drives a two-litre Mazda MX-5, lives in a beautiful spot on the north west coast, with access by tidal causeway only. He said: 'I must admit, on the rare occasions I have been caught out by the tides it would have been rather nice to have an amphibious car.'

For Mr Wilson, and all other drivers who routinely defy the high seas, we went shopping for cars that rule the waves.

1. It’s quackers

GM built the DUKW, known as the Duck, for the US military in 1942. The adapted troop-carrier could transport 25 soldiers and was good for 50mph on land or five mph in the water. Some are now used for big-city river tours.

2. Go schwimming

VW Beetle creator Ferdinand Porsche produced the four-wheel-drive Kubelwagen for Germany during the Second World War, then made an amphibious version in 1941, followed by a smaller model called the Schwimmwagen. It used the front wheels as rudders and, on land, the propeller would swing up, clear of the road.

3. Twin peaks

The Amphicar is the only civilian amphibious motor to be mass-produced. Almost 4,000 were built in Germany from 1961 to 1968, most being exported to the United States. With a top speed of 70mph on land and seven mph on water, the Amphicar uses twin propellers.

4. By Land and sea

First built in the 1980s, the Land Rover-derived SeaRoader is made with steel body panels and has twin engines, a 1.7-litre turbo-diesel for land use and a separate marine motor which powers an output jet, giving a top speed of six mph.

5. Strutting its stuff

The Aquada from Gibbs Sports Amphibians has hydraulically retractable wheels on struts, a 165bhp 2.5-litre four-cylinder engine powering the rear wheels and a jet-pump for marine propulsion. With a top speed of 100mph on land and 30mph in the water, a prototype crossed the Channel in 40 minutes in 2004.

6. Foil flyer

The Swiss Rinspeed Splash clocks up 120mph on land and 52mph on water, with a 750cc 140bhp twin-cylinder engine running on natural gas. Under 35mph, it cruises like a conventional boat, then, as speed increases, hydrofoils fold out to raise the car's body above the waves. A propeller lowers into the water with the foils. Very James Bond.