720S

Make
McLaren
Segment
Coupe

Being eternal optimists, we can't help but get excited every time a company announces that it has developed a flying car. The idea of being able to soar off into the clouds at a moments notice seems like the ultimate luxury, especially if you happen to live in one of our major cities where traffic jams are a daily reality.

Yet despite the constant claims by a number of manufacturers, we are still stuck firmly on the ground. There are a few companies out there that seem agonizingly close to realizing this dream, one of the most promising is flying car startup Terrafugia.

Backed by Chinese automotive giant Geely since 2017, Automotive News Europe announced that Terrafugia has started taking orders for its first flying car, the Transition.

The Terrafugia Transition looks more plane than car with its airplane-style cockpit and large foldable wings, yet it is a fully road-legal vehicle and can be driven with a standard driver's license. There is seating for two occupants, one of which will need to have a sport pilot certificate if they are to take to the skies.

Power is supplied by a 100-horsepower four-cylinder Rotax engine and the Transition is said to be capable of 100 mph in the air. Standard pump gas is all that is required, and it has a range of up to 400 miles on a tank. A hybrid-electric powertrain provides the motive force while on the ground, although exact specifications for this setup have not yet been made available.

The starting price is rumored to be in the region of $280,000 a sum that could also buy you some serious sports cars like the McLaren 720S or Ferrari 488. Neither one of those two can fly though, not on purpose anyway.

The Transition is one of two flying cars currently in development at Terrafugia, the second model called TF-2 will be capable of vertical take-offs and landings with space for up to four occupants when it arrives in 2025. But before we get carried away again by what could be, let's focus on the Transition which is set for a 2019 debut.

If all goes well it will be joined by a competitor from Samson Sky, another flying car hopeful that has also received confirmed orders for its upcoming Switchblade. We really hope that at least one of these flying cars makes it into production, the wait has been excruciating.