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Aircraft

Where's your flying car, you ask? It's on eBay

By Ben Coxworth
July 06, 2017
Where's your flying car, you ask? It's on eBay
The Moller M400 is being sold in its original 2001 flight form and condition, and comes complete with eight tilting Rotapower engines that produce over 720 hp of thrust
The Moller M400 is being sold in its original 2001 flight form and condition, and comes complete with eight tilting Rotapower engines that produce over 720 hp of thrust
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The Moller M400 in flight
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The Moller M400 in flight
The original Moller M400 Skycar is for sale on eBay
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The original Moller M400 Skycar is for sale on eBay
The Moller M400 is being sold in its original 2001 flight form and condition, and comes complete with eight tilting Rotapower engines that produce over 720 hp of thrust
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The Moller M400 is being sold in its original 2001 flight form and condition, and comes complete with eight tilting Rotapower engines that produce over 720 hp of thrust
The Moller M400 can be purchased for $5 million
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The Moller M400 can be purchased for $5 million
The Moller M400 is not FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) approved, so one of the conditions of the sale is that it not be flown
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The Moller M400 is not FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) approved, so one of the conditions of the sale is that it not be flown 
View gallery - 5 images

In the world of real-life flying cars, back before the days of Terrafugia or AeroMobil, there was the Moller Skycar. Although the vehicle has still yet to reach production, the original four-seater M400 prototype unit – which actually flies – can now be yours, as it's up for auction on eBay. Be warned, though … it ain't cheap.

The M400 vehicle first flew (or hovered, really) at a Moller International shareholder's meeting in 2001, and has since been flown numerous times – albeit in restricted environments.

It's being sold in its original 2001 flight form and condition, and comes complete with eight tilting Rotapower engines that produce over 720 hp of thrust, allowing it take off and land vertically. In fact, according to the company, it's the world's first true VTOL (vertical takeoff and landing) flying car to ever be demonstrated.

That said, it's not FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) approved, so one of the conditions of the sale is that it not be flown – at least, not in its present state. If the buyer wishes, however, they can work with Moller to have numerous upgrades made, so that it gets FAA approval.

The Moller M400 in flight
The Moller M400 in flight

The company has reportedly spent over US$150 million developing the engine and airframe technology used in the prototype. With that in mind, perhaps the $1 million reserve isn't so steep. If you'd rather just buy the thing, instead of bidding on it, you can do so for $5 million.

"We are selling the M400 Skycar to fund our new and ongoing projects," Moller's marketing director Jack Stewart tells New Atlas. "Our next-generation Skycar will use more efficient, and just better all-the-way-around hybrid-powered, rotary engines ... We are also working on another unrelated project, which may make significant news soon."

Here's a look at the the M400X in a short takeoff demonstration:

M400X Skycar Demonstration Flight

Sources: eBay, Moller International

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14 comments
Ben Coxworth
Ben Coxworth
Based out of Edmonton, Canada, Ben Coxworth has been writing for New Atlas since 2009 and is presently Managing Editor for North America. An experienced freelance writer, he previously obtained an English BA from the University of Saskatchewan, then spent over 20 years working in various markets as a television reporter, producer and news videographer. Ben is particularly interested in scientific innovation, human-powered transportation, and the marine environment.

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14 comments
Nik
Tethered to a crane? Their confidence in the craft seems a little lacking.
habakak
Garbage. This stuff will not be practical and affordable until it's fully electric and autonomous. The space requirements for flying vehicles (even VTOL) is too big for it to really go mainstream. Imagine 3 million people a day commuting in and out of NYC by air. Or going to the mall. Just not practical. It will be just fine for weekend cruises or shortish (2 to 3 hours) trips. There it hands down beats cars and the landing/take-off issue would be less of an issue for a lot of trips. Unless EVERYONE uses it. But then again, very few people (as a percentage of the total) do trips on the weekend.
Lardo
"...the original four-seater M400 prototype unit – which actually flies..."
Ah, no it doesn't. Granted it did lift off the ground (or at least appeared too) under its own power but, if you notice, it was unmanned. There's a reason for that.
And, as Nik mentioned, it was tethered. It has never "flown" untethered. Again, there's a reason for that. There is also a reason why the Moller Skycar has been in "development" for over 50 years.
And let's not forget that Paul Moller was sued by the SEC for civil fraud.
Mark Markarian
"If the buyer wishes, however, they can work with Moller to have numerous upgrades made, so that it gets FAA approval."
Please stop peddling this BS.
If Moller couldn't do it with 150Million Bucks, they ain't doing it for you.
Kpar
I have been wondering about the Moller Skycar- is has graced the pages of the Popular magazines for many years. It was always intended to be autonomous, and the thrust vectoring and multiple engines were brilliantly conceived. Why no further development? Shortage of funds is my best guess.
Kpar
Of more interest (to me, at least) is the Cartercopter. It is at a much more advanced state of development, and Carter has announced an agreement with Mooney Aircraft this year.
Carter claims that their "Slowed-Rotor Concept" can be scaled-up to the size and load-carrying capacity of the C-130 Hercules. Fascinating.
Don Duncan
I lived near the Moller showroom 40 years ago. After making an appointment, I went to verify and possibly invest, if they could convince me they were viable. I saw their prototype with ropes around it. No touching. My mechanic was not allowed to verify. I was told I could see a demo "after" I invested (a lot).
Twenty-five years later a friend at work, Mel, told me he invested his life savings about the time I was there. He had not seen a dime, nor could he sell his "share". His lawyer told him he was scammed. Five years later Mel died, and his widow told me that "investment" was the biggest financial mistake they ever made.
michael_dowling
Kpar: Yeah,I think the Cartercopter concept is cool too. Always liked gyrocopters.
Daniel Harbin
This thing and the money sink has been around for 30 years or more. The concept and engineering is fantastic and inspiring. However, the real deal never appeared and after a couple of years I concluded it was a scam and probably still is. Wanna buy the Brooklyn Bridge?
Vanilla Cat
Back in 1981 as a young pilot and all around aviation enthusiast, I was introduced to Mr. Moller by my then girlfriend's stepdad who had invested in the Skycar project. He was certainly engaging in a Burt Rutan meets P.T. Barnum sort of way. I followed his progress, or lack thereof over the years and although he could barely raise the machine off of the ground he was quite adept at raising lots and lots of cash! I would call his ambitions pie in the sky, except pie is much more aerodynamically sound than the Skycar. This story seems to be like the Phoenix in that it is resurrected every couple years by some lazy journalist who believes there is something newsworthy about this endeavor, very inappropriate, especially now as there are so many legitimate projects on the horizon.
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