Road Sport : who needs a/c?
The company behind a new flying car project has now released plans to create a ‘Road Sport’ model.Wiltshire-based paramotor manufacturer Parajet has come up with a very convincing-looking attempt at a flying car, and has now confirmed a high-performance model will be part of the range.
Parajet's 'Sky Car' has been rumoured for some time, and was featured in the national press over the weekend. In a challenging maiden voyage, the company hopes to complete a 3,700-mile journey by air and land to Timbuktu in Bali early next year.
Once this mammoth journey has been completed the firm is looking to start selling the Road Sport version in 2010. The prototype Sky Car is essentially a Rage off-road buggy, with a Parajet fan bolted onto the back. But what makes this so special is Parajet's use of a foldaway parafoil wing, which uses recent advances in aerodynamic technology and materials to provide control and stability from the flexible structure.
The buggy is powered by a 140bhp bio-ethanol powered engine - a modified version of that found on the Yamaha R1 superbike. This is mated to a CVT (constant variable transmission) automatic gearbox from a snowmobile, and the results are potent. Parajet say that their fully road-legal Sky Car will accelerate from 0-62mph in just 4.5 seconds on land, and will run to a maximum speed of approximately 111mph. The Road Sport is expected to be even quicker.
Prototype testing off-road
But long before those sorts of speeds, the road could be forgotten altogether. The Sky Car can take-off at just 35mph, and in a distance of under 200 metres, making it ideal for working from short runways and hostile terrain.
In the air, the buggy is said to be capable of 80mph at altitudes of up to 15,000 feet. It wouldn't even require a pilot's licence, as the craft still counts as a powered-parachute. If the buggy survives its gruelling maiden voyage, production versions could retail from as little as £35,000, but particularly exciting is the suggestion of the high-performance sports version, which is expected to cost around £60,000.
Precious few details have emerged about the 'Road Sport' version, however the computer-generated images on Parajet's website look absolutely spectacular, with a single-piece wraparound body integrating a rollcage, and the huge fan at the back resembling a supercar-style spoiler. Parajet are keeping tight-lipped about the Road Sport until the maiden voyage of the Sky Car is complete, however have hinted that more details will emerge at the launch of the buggy in January.
And if it's even faster than the buggy (as its name suggests), this will be one awesome machine.
Computer image shows radical commute
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