Unless you need to go on a long drive and really want to work on your tan at the same time, there aren't that many situations where this transparent concept car, called the eXasis, would be that practical. But, hey, practicality's overrated — I want to ride in it just to see the ground beneath my feet whip by at high speed. The engineers at Swiss company Rinspeed made as much of the car transparent as they could — even the seats, each of which is made from 12 see-through ribs. They're made of Makrolon, a high-tech durable plastic, which also composes the chassis.

The eXasis scores extra points by being relatively green. It keeps its CO₂ emissions in check by running on bioethanol, and the lightweight plastic construction (just 1,650 pounds) gets more miles per gallon than your average BMW. Plus it looks pretty hot driving on a beach, if the pictures are any indication. See a few more after the jump. — Peter Pachal

Rinspeed, via The Cool Hunter