Howdy Webriders! Dr. VW here with an auto adventure to the skies! How many times have you heard the old “flying cars are the future” story? I know I’ve heard it about as many times as “electric cars are the future!” and “hydrogen cars are the future!” Needless to say, all three have been on the drawing board for decades, and yet we’re still decades away from a full transition to any of those platforms. While electric and hybrid electric cars are gaining momentum, and hydrogen has arguably come a long way towards viability, the flying car remains the most far fetched; though actually owning one would be pretty sweet. Up until now, the need for a pilots license and all that jazz has largely been a moot point, since such a vehicle really doesn’t exist, and all previous attempts have been clumsy and awkward looking at best, downright dangerous at worst. Until now anyway… hit the jump to see…the Transition!

Yes. That is what it’s called. Terraferrugia Inc. has provided the world with a possibly commercially viable flying car and they name it the Transition. Go figure.

The Terraferrugia Transition, (hence forth referred to as the “TT”) is definitely a lot cooler than its name implies however. The TT boasts some pretty impressive stats– a 460 mile range on 20 gallons of regular car grade unleaded gas(thats over 20 mpg!), cruising speed of 115 mph (in the air), and meets all legal and safety highway standards. The fact that it can drive legally, and safely, on the freeway is a testament to its construction. The vehicle has four wheels, which are powered by a 100hp 4 stroke Rotax engine. On the ground, a standard manual transmission set up controls the vehicle, while in the air the same motor powers a rear facing propeller. A wingspan of  27.5 feet with two tail rudders coupled with standard small sport plane equipment keeps things safe while in the sky. The best part is, the wings fold into the sides for easy storage, it even fits in a standard home garage! No messing around outside the vehicle either, like a well built BMW convertible, all of the transformational magic can be orchestrated from inside the cockpit without lifting more than a finger. It even seats two.

So why aren’t well lining up to buy one of these already!? I’d love to make the trip between San Diego and San Luis Obispo in 3 short hours, skip traffic, and drive right up to my parking space without ever leaving the car. Well… factor in the usual buzz kill. FAA regulations require you to have a pilots license… and you need a runway to land and take off from too. Not major hurdles, but enough to keep the average joe from going out and putting a down payment on one of these oddballs. Lets not forget that little thing called the price tag– a steep 148 grand. But for a flying car…. deliveries are set to start in 2009, so maybe I’ll get to see one of these scooting around somewhere! In the meantime, it looks like most of us will be stuck on solid ground. In the meantime, check out the gallery and the video of the TT in action! This is Dr. VW– out.