Normally, we at The Drive like to write our stories for as broad an audience as possible. But in the case of this story, we’re quietly hoping it’ll be read by one person in particular: Steph Curry, point guard for the NBA’s Golden State Warriors. Why? Because Curry just signed a five-year, $201 million contract with his team...which means he’s probably thinking, at least on some level, about all the cool things he can buy with that pile of cash.
To which we’d like to say: Might we recommend this Moller M400 Skycar, currently available on eBay for a Buy It Now price of $5 million?
The VTOL-capable Moller M400 Skycar was a staple of Popular Mechanics and Popular Science covers back in the late Nineties and early Aughts, as at the time, it seemed to be the closest thing to the Jetsons-spec flying car the world had ever seen. According to the listing, the example currently up for grabs on eBay is still in the same condition it was back in 2001, with an octet of rotating engines that allow this flying car to take off and land vertically like a helicopter, then transition over to horizontal, airplane-like flight.
There’s a catch, however: You can’t legally fly this flying car. The Moller Skycar isn’t FAA-certified for flight in its current form, according to the listing; as such, the buyer is barred from taking this machine into the air unless he or she goes to Moller International and works with them to bring the Skycar to government-approved flight condition. (No word on how much that’ll cost, but considering Moller reportedly spent more than $150 million developing the Skycar, we doubt it’ll be cheap.)
Of course, any potential buyer should also keep in mind that the Moller M400 Skycar has never actually flown, per se. The closest this “flying car” has ever come to soaring through the air is a hover while tethered to a crane about 15 feet off the ground, according to the World Heritage Encyclopedia.
Nevertheless, Moller International is still hard at work trying to develop the future of personal transportation. In addition to a more advanced version of the M400, the company is also working on a pair of flying saucer-like craft called the Neuera and Firefly, according to its website, as well as a series of UAVs capable of VTOL flight. Considering the company has been known to suffer from financial difficulties—previous attempts to auction off prototypes have proven fruitless, crowdfunding endeavors have reportedly been met with middling results, and the SEC once sued Moller International for civil fraud—it seems likely Moller is looking to sell this car to raise money for its other projects.
In the meantime, though, Moller says this $5 million nonflying-flying-car could be “the centerpiece of any car or aircraft collection in a public or private museum.” Or, y’know, a great lawn ornament to celebrate a $40.2-million-a-year NBA contract. Just sayin’.