Sweet Rides - AeroMobil a Flying Car set for production and release in 2020

At Top Marques Monaco this week, the Prince of Monaco pulled the covers off a flying car that is set to enter garages – or hangars – from 2020. Slovakia-based AeroMobil displayed what it claims is the production model of its Flying Car, and started taking pre-orders for an initial 500-unit run ahead of anticipated full production.

With the curves and presence of a supercar, the AeroMobil should fit in a large car parking space. You can drive it at up to 160 km/h (99 mph) on the road, then pull in to an airport and convert it to a plane at the touch of a button.

The conversion process takes less than three minutes, during which the wings fold out, the driven front wheels tuck themselves into the chassis, and a variable pitch pusher prop folds out at the rear. Some 300-odd horsepower from a custom 2.0-liter turbo engine is switched between the front wheels and the pusher prop through a bespoke transmission.

AeroMobil rates the machine as having a 700-km (435-mi) range on the ground, or about a 750 km (466-mi) cruise range when airborne, on a 90-liter (23.8 gal) tank of 95 RON fuel. Airborne cruise speed is rated at 259 km/h (161 mph), and it'll safely carry a maximum load of 240 kg (529 lb), enough for two average adults and luggage.

This is not the machine that'll take the average chump's commute into the third dimension. Apart from the eye-watering price tag, it's every bit an airplane, so you'll need a pilot's license and a bunch of hours under your belt to fly it.

$1.3 to $1.6 million price tag