Currently reading: Pal-V Liberty: launch edition of flying car revealed

Dutch company PAL-V is selling its three-wheeled Liberty flying car now; it's equipped with a 99bhp driving engine and a 197bhp flying engine

The series production version of the Pal-V Liberty, the world’s first production flying car, has been displayed at this year's Geneva motor show in its limited-edition Pioneer launch spec.

Dutch manufacturer Pal-V claims the Liberty is fully compliant with existing regulations and says it represents a “pivotal time in aviation and mobility history”. 

The Pioneer Edition of the Liberty will be limited to 90 units, and features an extra carbon bodywork package and two-tone colour scheme.

Pal-V Liberty: Colin Goodwin explores a flying car

 

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The Pioneer Edition is priced from €499,000 (around £445,500) before taxes. This price includes power heating, personalisation options and some flight instruction sessions.

Only 90 examples will be sold, with around half of them headed to Europe. After their delivery, PAL-V will start delivery of the Sport model, which is priced from €299,000 (around £254,000) before taxes. The regular machine was previously displayed at the 2018 Geneva show.

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The Sport doesn’t have the same level of personalisation available as the Pioneer Edition but still comes with flying lessons, while options include power heating and carbonfibre detailing.

This isn't the first flying car attempt in recent years...

The Liberty has a three-wheel layout and fold-away rotor blades on the roof. It's effectively a gyrocopter aircraft with two engines. Its Rotax engine-based dual propulsion drivetrain includes one engine for driving and one for flying. An unpowered large rotor on top creates lift, while an engine-powered blade at the rear provides thrust.

The PAL-V has low suspension and a tilting two-person cockpit.

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To convert the car from driving mode to flying mode or vice versa takes around 5-10 minutes, according to PAL-V. The rotor mast unfolds automatically, but the driver must pull out the tail section, unfold the two rotor blades and take out the propeller to ready it to fly.

You also need a flying license, of course, and you can’t just take off and land anywhere; PAL-V says the Liberty requires take-off space of around 90-200x200 metres without obstacles. It says that small airstrips, aerodomes, glider sites and ultralight airfields will be most appropriate.

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PAL-V says the noise that the Liberty generates in flight will be comparable to a small fixed wing aeroplane – “much less” than a helicopter.

The Liberty's drive mode engine has 99bhp and a top speed of 100mph, with 0-62mph sprint taking 9.0sec. Fuel economy is a claimed 31mpg with a range of 817 miles.

In the air, the flying car can climb to a maximum altitude of 3500m, and its 197bhp flying engine can propel it up to a top speed of 112mph. Its range is a claimed 310 miles.

The Liberty will be assembled in the Netherlands, with specific parts and systems manufactured by other companies in different countries.

PAL-V collaborated with Italian design agencies for the car and conducted test programmes with concepts in 2009 and 2012.

Robert Dingemanse, the company's CEO, said: "After years of hard work, beating the technical and qualification challenges, our team succeeded in creating an innovative flying car that complies with existing safety standards determined by regulatory bodies around the world."

Read more

Pal-V Liberty: Colin Goodwin explores a flying car

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James Attwood

James Attwood, digital editor
Title: Acting magazine editor

James is Autocar's acting magazine editor. Having served in that role since June 2023, he is in charge of the day-to-day running of the world's oldest car magazine, and regularly interviews some of the biggest names in the industry to secure news and features, such as his world exclusive look into production of Volkswagen currywurst. Really.

Before first joining Autocar in 2017, James spent more than a decade in motorsport journalist, working on Autosport, autosport.com, F1 Racing and Motorsport News, covering everything from club rallying to top-level international events. He also spent 18 months running Move Electric, Haymarket's e-mobility title, where he developed knowledge of the e-bike and e-scooter markets. 

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Peter Cavellini 8 March 2018

Hmmmm.......

 Limited range, noisy, no luxury’s inside, you’ll need Flying lessons, oh, and somewhere to take off from, no , not a viable transport, now, if it could take off vertically then convert to fixed wing, then it might be viable as City Transport, no, this is just a Toy......

275not599 7 March 2018

I can see Dietrich

I can see Dietrich whathisname, the Red Bull guy, buying one for his collection, because that's all it is, a billionaire's toy, like his submarine.

Paul Dalgarno 7 March 2018

An answer.....

To a problem and a demand that doesn’t exist. Bizzare business to set up, needed an independent person or group just to stop them and say NO before development started. Shame as I’m sure the engineering is great.