Vernon Porter (72) and Clarence Kissell (70) might be in a race against time to get this thing finished but they’re obviously still schoolboys inside. So far they have a fiberglass mockup in their shop, but plan to make a test flight in the Fall.

As ever with these projects, it’s expensive. The pair have dropped $70,000 so far and are trying to raise another $1.2m. It will run on a 232 hp Mazda engine, a rotary Wankel (stop sniggering at the back) and use a charmingly old school propellor when it’s in the air. None of this new-fangled jet car nonsense for these boys.

Expected to hit 150mph when in the air, on the ground it will be much more basic. The wings fold up and you only need a motorcycle license to drive the 3 wheeler. Porter is modest: "on the road, it probably doesn’t corner like a Porsche. But it’s got real brakes, real wheels, real tires and it should drive and fly pretty well."

Via Gadget Lab