Dreams of flying cars are nearly as old as the automobile itself. As early as 1917, legendary aircraft designer Glenn Curtiss tried his hand at a “roadable aircraft” (via Impact Lab). Unfortunately, the history of flying car failure goes back almost as far. Contemporary observers described the Curtiss Autoplane as being able to “hop” rather than fly, and another early attempt, Constantinos Vlachos’s “tri-phibian” flyer, is famous primarily for a harrowing newsreel showing it bursting into flames (via Story Cars).
Stellantis and Archer Aircraft are not deterred by these past failures, however. According to the Journal, Stellantis has already committed up to $150 million in an exclusive contract with Archer, which intends to establish a factory outside Atlanta, Georgia, dedicated to the new vehicle. It will be based on Archer’s Midnight electric VTOL aircraft (via Detroit News). Everyone involved expects this to take time. The most optimistic prediction puts Archer beginning production in late 2024.
