1954 flying car rises above the rest at Scottsdale’s Barrett-Jackson auction

PHOENIX – There will be no shortage of exotic, unusual, historic and spectacular vehicles for sale this month at the annual Barrett-Jackson auction in Scottsdale.

But one car on the block rises above all the rest.

That’s because it can fly.

A yellow 1954 Taylor Aerocar, one of only five of the hybrid machines ever produced, is sure to be one of the most talked about items available Jan. 11-19 at WestWorld of Scottsdale.

The low-tech Transformer is the only car in the U.S. to be certified for flight by the FAA, according to the auction listing.

The car, which seats two, could be considered lightly used for its age, with 15,254.9 miles on its wheels and 781 flight hours under its wings.

In driving mode, the car has a three-speed manual transmission and is powered by a rear-mounted, 150-horsepower engine. The wings can be folded back to be towed along with the propeller and fuselage.

According to a website dedicated to the flying car, which will be sold Jan. 18, the wings fold out with “no more effort than changing a tire” for flying mode.

A two-blade propeller can send the vehicle through the air for up to 300 miles at a cruising speed of 100 mph.

It’s been more than 20 years since this vehicle, officially Aerocar N101D, was last sold, and no other Aerocars have been available in that time, according to the website.

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