The flying car is an idea that has been talked about for years by Sci-fi enthusiasts and futurists. Many of the early proponents of flying cars would have imagined that by 2020, most drivers would be traveling around in flying cars. Unfortunately, although flying cars now exist, they have become far from mainstream. The flying cars that exist are generally rare and only available for people who are willing to pay a lot of money.

The amphibious car is more common although it has mostly been seen in military use. A lot of military forces around the world have armored amphibious vehicles that can be used for beach assaults. However, several civilian models of amphibious cars exist as well. For drivers, the ability to fly over traffic or sail right past it is possible but usually not practical.

10 Amphicar Model 770 (Boat)

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The Amphicar Model 770 was first revealed at the 1961 New York Auto show as a hybrid car and boat. A total of 3,878 cars were produced in West Germany. The designers took heavily from the German military, Volkswagen Schwimmwagen to design the car.

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The Amphicar struggles with performance not quite being a boat and not quite being a car. The relatively slow vehicle is only capable of 7 knots in the water and 70 mph on the road.

9 Aerocar International's Aerocar (Airplane)

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The Aerocar International's Aerocar, better known as the Taylor Aerocar was first built in 1949. In total, six models of the car were built. The inventor of the Aerocar, Moulton Taylor took what he could from the design of the Airphibian to create the Aerocar. The main difference between the two flying cars were their wings. While the Airphibian had detachable wings, the Aerocar had wings that could fold, which allowed a driver to turn their car into a flying machine in about five minutes.

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Behind the rear license plate was a propeller shaft for the aircraft.The Aerocar had a top speed of 60 mph and a top airspeed of 110 mph.

8 Gibbs Aquada (Boat)

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The Gibbs Aquada started production in 2003 and benefits from major advances in technology over some of the older amphibious cars. Over 60 patents were used in the design of this innovative vehicle. The car is powered by a 2.5L Rover V6 engine which allowed it to set a new record in crossing the English Channel in an amphibious vehicle. This particular feat was accomplished by owner of Virgin Group, Richard Branson.

via Motor 1

The Aquada was able to break this record due to its ability to reach speeds of 99 mph on the road and 27 knots in the water.

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7 Fulton Airphibian (Airplane)

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The Fulton Airphibian was created by Robert Edison Fulton Jr in 1946. In total, four aircraft were built, each one relied on a six-cylinder 165 horsepower engine. The process of making the Airphibian into an airplane involved attaching aircraft parts onto the car, such as the three-bladed propeller, when the driver/pilot wanted to fly the car.

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Despite its small size, the Airphibian could carry a crew of two people. While in flight, the Airphibian could reach speeds of 120 mph and it had a range of 350 miles.

6 WaterCar Panther (Boat)

Water Car Panther

The WaterCar Panther's claim to fame is that it is the fastest amphibious car. The Southern California based company that made the vehicle, released it in 2013. On land, the car has reached speeds of 127 mph and at sea, the Panther has reached speeds of 60 mph, putting it into the Guinness World Record in 2010.

WaterCar Panther1
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The main consumers of the Panther has been the Crown Prince of Dubai and tech enthusiasts in Silicon Valley. Although it is an impressive amphibious car, it is not an inexpensive car, costing as much as $135,000 dollars.

5 AVE Mizar (Airplane)

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The AVE Mizar was a flying car that combined two existing vehicles. It was part Ford Pinto and Cessna Skymaster. The Mizar never past the prototype phase. The design could carry three passengers and a pilot up to an altitude of 12,000 feet.

Via bbc.com

Tragically, the Mizar was not a safe design and in fact one of the models actually crashed, killing its pilot. No additional Mizars were built after 1973.

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4 DUKW (Boat)

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While most of the vehicles on this list were designed purely for civilian use, the DUKW was designed explicitly for military use. The acronym stands for D- designed in 1942, U- utility, K- All-wheel drive, and W- Dual-tandem rear axles, however, it appears more than anything the designers wanted to use those letters. The amphibious vehicle was designed around a six-wheel-drive military truck and could reach speeds of 50 mph on the road and 5.5 knots on the water.

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The DUKW had some light armor and some models were equipped with four .50-caliber Browning heavy machine guns. The DUKW was used during World War II, during battles to include the Normandy invasion.

3 Terrafugia Transition (Airplane)

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Built in 2006, the Terrafugia Transition took its first flight in  2009. The piston engine powered, carbon-fiber aircraft is capable of reaching speeds of 115 mph. On the road, drivers can reach speeds of 70 mph. When the Transition is not flying, the wings can be folded up. The craft is likely one of the most advanced flying cars, including autopilot and an airframe parachute.

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The car is capable of flying 425 nautical miles before it needs to land to be refueled. The car has enough room for one passenger and the pilot/driver. In 2019, Terrafugia announced that they plan to make additional upgrades to the craft.

2 Rinspeed sQuba (Boat)

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From appearances alone, it may appear that someone drove their convertible into the ocean but the Rinspeed sQuba is indeed a submarine. The sQuba is a zero-emission, electric vehicle that relies on two propellers and two blow jets to travel through the water. The vehicle incorporates an open design, to allow the passengers to escape easily in an emergency.

via Rinspeed AG

Above the surface, the sQuba has a top speed of 75 mph. While on the surface of the water, the sQuba can reach speeds of 3.2 mph and underwater, 1.9 mph.

1 Butterfly Super Sky Cycle (Airplane)

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The Butterfly Super Sky Cycle is noteworthy for not being a flying car but rather a flying motorcycle. Technically, the craft is considered a pusher gyroplane with a tricycle undercarriage. To power the machine, a two-stroke engine is used and a Kevlar tail provides direction during flight. While being driven, the rotors are folded down.

Via YouTube

The Super Sky Cycle has a cruising speed of 80 mph and a fuel capacity of 7.5 gallons. An additional two 5 gallon tanks can be mounted on the vehicle.

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