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A bicycle with wings and a Land Rover that transforms into a hovercraft are just two of the quirky vehicles pictured in a newly-discovered archive of bizarre British inventions.

The designs - which seek to defy the laws of physics - are among an dizzying array of weird and wonderful products that have been cataloged by an amateur historian.

Businessman Chris Hodge, from Chislehurst, south east London, came across the unusual objects as he trawled through a collection of images spanning the last 100 years.

Best of British: A Land Rover - one of the hallmarks of the nation's motoring industry - is given an unexpected makeover with a platform that turns it into a hovercraft

Reinventing the bicycle: This bold couple venture out for a ride on a side-by-side tandem, left, while a team of inventors hope wings will lift their cycle into the skies, right

Eccentric: Two men glide over the waves on an unusual amphibious vehicle - just one of the many bizarre British inventions included in Mr Hodge's archive of innovation

Mr Hodge has curated more than 250,000 images and is having them all digitally scanned and archived.

The eccentric inventions of years gone by also include what appears to be an early version of a videophone - with a static photograph of the recipient of the call - and an amphibious Lambretta scooter.

Other photographs capture a not-so-portable hairdryer, a mini-submarine, a side-by-side tandem bicycle and a motorcyclist's daring back-facing sidecar.

The collection, most of which has not been seen for several decades, also features photos of factories, military history, boats, motorsport, and rare trucks and cars.

Easyart.com, a website for posters and art prints, has begun to sell a selection of the images from Mr Hodge's Stilltime Collection.

Mr Hodge, 56, who has been collecting the images for over a decade, said: 'These images are a captivating snapshot of a bygone era.

'It's wonderful to be able to reveal the often hidden world of our past. Some of these shots are the only record of their kind, showing how even the most simple things were done completely differently. 

Girls and their toys: Wearing a shell-covered two-piece swimsuit, this young woman looks ready to cruise the seas - or streets - in her amphibious Lambretta

Home comforts: A man tests out a very early version of a videophone, left, while a young woman pampers herself with this bulky portable hairdryer, right

Ready to ride: This experimental motorcycle is just one of the objects that 'reveal the often hidden world of our past', according to businessman Chris Hodge

Daring: In this black-and-white photograph taken from Mr Hodge's collection, a man looks on as a single-seat gyrocopter as it lifts off into the air above a field

'It's a world of discovery and a unique insight into the way things were.' 

Gyr King, founding director of Easyart, said the collection is a 'hidden gem of British social history'.

He added: 'The vast majority of these images have remained unseen for several decades and shine a light on the extraordinary inventions, machines, people, places and events in Britain's past.'

The photos, taken from various British trade and business-to-business media titles including Motorcycle News, Speed & Power Magazine and Nursing Times, document Britons trying to invent the next 'big thing'.

The 20 tonnes of original material is currently in a specially built, air-conditioned and atmospherically controlled containment unit in Greenwich, London.

Going under? Looking out from a transparent dome on top of the tiny amphibious vehicle, this man looks uncertain about how ready the invention is to take to the seas

On your marks, get set: A daring man wears a thick helmet and tweed jacket as he takes his position in a reverse side-car that is attached to an early motorcycle

Jetting off: Looking sharp in a boating blazer and hat, this young man takes a spin on this amphibious vehicle - made by attaching a scooter to two floating boards