From the Weasley’s Ford Anglia to Dick Van Dyke’s Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, flying cars are a common sight in films and books.
Well, as of this week, you now can buy your very own road and air-legal flying car for the not-at-all-eye-watering-price of £425,000 (pre-tax).
At that price, you’ll get the PAL-V Liberty Pioneer Edition and some flight instruction sessions, thank god.
Set for 2018 deliveries, the Dutch-made vehicle has three wheels, foldable rotor blades, and two Rotax engines – one for driving and one for flying.
Its unique tilting system promises the agility of a motorbike on the road, where it can travel at up to 100mph.
In the air, the car can travel at 112mph and up to 4,000ft.
Robert Dingemanse, PAL-V’s CEO, told AutoCar: “After years of hard work, beating the technical and qualification challenges, our team succeeded in creating an innovative flying car that complies with existing safety standards determined by regulatory bodies around the world.”
Before they can set it to flight mode, the PAL-V Liberty, owners will need to take about 40 hours of exams and pass their flying exams.
That hasn’t deterred government institutions, hospitals and the tourism sector from expressing interest in the vehicles.
“Companies like the Sahara Group in Mumbai have shown interest in using PAL-V’s for tourist mobility and sightseeing applications. Driving and flying with one vehicle opens up a complete new set of applications people until now could only dream of,” Dingemanse told Business Standard last June.
Only 90 of the Liberty Pioner Editions will be sold. Once delivered, PAL-V will start shipping the Liberty Sport, a cheaper model costing around £254,000.