Friends, this is a momentous occasion. Samson Sky is working on a sporty fun-to-drive vehicle that's part motorcycle, part car, and part airplane. It's called the Switchblade, and it was first introduced as a concept over 10 years ago. A decade of hard work has culminated in the news that, just recently, it drove down a runway and achieved its projected takeoff speed of 88 mph. That begs the question: is this a flying car, or a time machine?
The answer, for now anyway, is neither. The Switchblade didn't take off, and from what we see in the above image released by Samson Sky, none of its aero components were deployed. According to a press release on the occasion (viewable below), this was simply a runway test for the Switchblade which shows it can achieve the same speed as pretty much any economy hatchback. Of course, car fans who love science fiction know that 88 mph is also the speed at which Doc Brown's DeLorean from Back to the Future blasts through time – provided you have Mr. Fusion filled with beer, banana peels, or other assorted trash.
Gallery: Samson Sky Switchblade Flying Car
As such, Samson Sky likens the Switchblade to a time machine. Seriously, the company highlights the Switchblade's ability to take flight as a means of time travel, reducing the time it takes for door-to-door travel on longer trips. That's not exactly the same as time traveling in the broader sense, but we do get the point and it's a valid one. Despite what years of Top Gear races have suggested, flying is most decidedly a faster way to travel and there's no denying the convenience of driving to an airport, taking off, landing, and finishing the drive to your destination all in the same vehicle.
Flying Cars Or Airplanes For The Road?
To that end, Samson Sky says the Switchblade will do 125 mph on the road, cruise at 160 mph in the air, and its folding wings mean you can switch from ground to sky at the push of a button. That is, in theory anyway since this flying car concept still hasn't lifted off. And it still requires a legitimate airport for flight, and that means the driver will also need a pilot's license. Getting one of those is a tad more involved (and expensive) than picking up a driver's license at the local DMV.
Still, Samson Sky says it has 1,313 Switchblade reservations from interested parties all around the world. With buyers literally waiting on the wings, here's hoping it doesn't take another 11 years for the Switchblade to get airborne.
Flying Car Hits Take-Off Speed
The Switchblade Flying Sports Car and the DeLorean from Back to the Future Have Something in Common
PRINEVILLE, Ore., Oct. 26, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Switchblade flying sports car hit 88 mph in runway test runs recently, which was calculated to be the take-off speed of the vehicle. Coincidentally, that is the same speed the famous DeLorean had to reach before it could travel through time in the epic Robert Zemeckis movie Back to the Future.
The Switchblade is touted as being a personal "time machine" because of the incredible amount of time it can save people. The vehicle was designed to turn a 10-hour regional driving trip of 500 miles into a 3 ½ hour drive/fly trip, door-to-door. As regional airports exist within a 15-minute drive of where most people live, this kind of use may appeal to those who desire a simplified method of regional travel. "Say goodbye to traffic congestion, weather delays, and rental car/Uber hassles. Say hello to freedom," quips Sam Bousfield, designer of the Switchblade and CEO of Samson Sky, the company behind the vehicle.
The popularity of the $150,000 flying sports car has continued to grow, with Samson recently gaining what they called "lucky" Reservation Position 1313. Samson Reservations Manager, Martha Hall Bousfield, reports that Switchblade Reservationists hail from an unprecedented 38 countries, including all 50 States in America.
The Switchblade flying sports car is classified as a motorcycle by the U.S. Department of Transportation, but the Samson Sky team likes to call it a flying sports car because of its high performance. The engine is a turbo-charged, lightweight 200 hp liquid-cooled V4 that is capable of 0-60 in 6.5 seconds and a top speed of 125+ mph. In the air it is designed to cruise at 160 mph, with a top speed of up to 190 mph and a range of 500 miles. Using Road & Track's slalom testing parameters, the Ground Test Vehicle out-performed everything in its wheelbase per Road & Track's historical data base.
For more information about the Switchblade and to follow its progress to launch, visit: www.SamsonSky.com