Designer Ted Hall prototyped the Convair Model 116 flying car by attaching a small plane, including wings, tail and propeller, to the car. You can remove the airplane parts and leave the vehicle functioning like a normal car. Model 116 made his first flight in 1946 and this flying car completed his 66 flights in the testing phase.
The following year, Convair created the Model 118 ConvAirCar, an improved version of the flying car (two prototypes). The company has beefed up the engine from his 130 hp mill used in the Model 116 to his 190 hp engine, greatly increasing power for flight. The car is built with a fiberglass body to keep the vehicle light, maximize airborne transport and improve fuel efficiency on the road. The wings, engine and propellers mounted on top of the car were removed and towed behind the car when not in use. The Model 118, with its one-hour flight and he offered ground mileage of 45 miles per gallon, seated one pilot and his three passengers (via Vintage News Daily).
Convair expects 160,000 Model 118 units in initial production, with an estimated price of $1,500 (via Vintage News). However, a crash of one of his prototypes in California changed the company’s plans. The tragedy occurred when the pilot took off assuming that both the plane’s engine and the car’s engine were supplied with one fuel tank (full). However, the plane’s engine fuel tanks had emptied during the flight, and the car’s fuel tanks were still full. After the accident, a second prototype was rebuilt with components from the first aircraft and flew, but the enthusiasm was lost and the program was terminated shortly thereafter.
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