From Harry Potter to The Jetsons, flying cars have been a staple feature of science fiction blockbusters for years.
But flying vehicles have slowly but surely become a reality, and now one has gone on display during Miami Art Week.
A prototype of the PAL-V Pioneer flying car was unveiled last night at the ‘Miami 2020 and Beyond’ exhibition, giving a glimpse of the transport of the future.
The flying car features retractable overhead and rear propellors and tail wings, allowing it to drive on the ground like a car, and take to the skies like a plane.
On the ground, the car can reach top speeds of 100mph, while in the sky it can travel at an impressive 200mph.
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Mike Stekelenburg, Chief Engineer at PAL-V, said: “Although more and more flying concepts are announced, only a handful of companies work on a real flying car: one that can both fly and drive, ideal for city to city mobility.
“The combination offers unprecedented freedom: personal door-to-door flying mobility.
“The gyroplane principle not only provides us with a safe and easy to operate flying car but it also enables us to make it compact and within existing regulations, which is the most important factor to build a useable flying car.”
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While a prototype was shown in Miami, a commercial version is already in production.
And despite having an eyewatering price tag of £425,000, its designers claim to have already sold 70 flying cars.
PAL-V claims that delivery of the flying car will start in 2021.
However, the firm will face stiff competition from several tech giants, who are all racing to be the first to launch a commercial flying car.
Uber has revealed plans to launch demonstrator flights of its flying taxi service, dubbed Uber Air, in 2020, ahead of commercial operations in 2023.
Meanwhile, Toyota has ambitious plans to feature a flying car during the opening ceremony of the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo!
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