The flying car has long captured the public’s imagination, and never more so than today—when a dozen companies (some, like Kitty Hawk - opens in new window or tab., with big-time funding from the likes of Google) are trying to make the long-held dream a reality. While you’re waiting for these investments to yield tangible results, consider the possibility of owning the original bright-red Moller M400 Skycar prototype, which was recently offered on eBay. The Buy-It-Now price was $5 million, with bidding starting at $1 million.
There’s a caveat, and it’s a big one: Without FAA approval, the Skycar can’t be flown by the new owner.
The Back Story
The Moller M400 Skycar could cruise at 350 mph, powered by eight rotary engines.
After spending decades dreaming of flying cars, engineer Paul Moller about 15 years ago built a very sophisticated flying car—the very same Moller M400 Skycar now available on eBay. It’s about the size of a medium-sized sedan. With its wings folded, it could cruise on the road and then use vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) technology to get airborne and hit 350 miles per hour, powered by eight rotary engines (running on gasoline, ethanol or methanol) and developing 720 horsepower. VTOL technology is shared by helicopters and British Harrier jets.
The Skycar was scheduled to go into production in the 2000s, initially priced at $350,000, but economies of scale were supposed to drop the sticker to $40,000 within 10 years.
Moller International, which is still in business, describes the M400 as “a true museum piece,” benefitting from $150 million in development money. It’s been featured on CNN, ABC, The Discovery Channel, and 60 Minutes, and in countless print articles. The buyer has the option of using it as the centerpiece of any car or aircraft collection in a public or private museum or seeking FAA approval with Moller’s help.
Moller says that the sale of the prototype on eBay would fund development of the next Skycar, as well as the company’s Neuera, a multi-purpose recreational vehicle that can carry two and “operate [as a hovercraft] up to 400 feet above any surface,” while also combining the capabilities of an ATV, snowmobile, and a boat.
Nearly two decades ago, then-NASA Langley Research Center Chief Scientist Dr. Dennis Bushnell said, “The Skycar will do for car-based society what the car did for horse-based society. It is the right solution at the right time.” Unfortunately, the Skycar remained earthbound.
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