Prineville’s ‘flying car’ maker touts 88 mph speed in runway test run
Yes, that's the DeLorean's time-travel speed in 'Back to the Future'
PRINEVILLE, Ore. (KTVZ) -- The Switchblade "flying sports car" being developed in Prineville hit 88 mph in recent runway test runs, which is calculated to be the take-off speed of the vehicle, the company said Tuesday.
Coincidentally, that is the same speed the famous DeLorean had to reach before it could travel through time in the epic Robert Zemeckis movie "Back to the Future," noted the news release from Samson Sky, which continues below:
The Switchblade is touted as being a personal "time machine" because of the incredible amount of time it can save people. The vehicle was designed to turn a 10-hour regional driving trip of 500 miles into a 3 ½ hour drive/fly trip, door-to-door.
As regional airports exist within a 15-minute drive of where most people live, this kind of use may appeal to those who desire a simplified method of regional travel.
"Say goodbye to traffic congestion, weather delays, and rental car/Uber hassles. Say hello to freedom," quips Sam Bousfield, designer of the Switchblade and CEO of Samson Sky, the company behind the vehicle.
The popularity of the $150,000 flying sports car has continued to grow, with Samson recently gaining what they called "lucky" Reservation Position 1313.
Samson Reservations Manager Martha Hall Bousfield reports that Switchblade reservation holders hail from an unprecedented 38 countries, including all 50 states.
The Switchblade flying sports car is classified as a motorcycle by the U.S. Department of Transportation, but the Samson Sky team likes to call it a flying sports car because of its high performance.
The engine is a turbo-charged, lightweight, 200-horsepower, liquid-cooled V4 that is capable of 0-60 in 6.5 seconds and a top speed of 125+ mph.
In the air, it is designed to cruise at 160 mph, with a top speed of up to 190 mph and a range of 500 miles.
Using Road & Track's slalom testing parameters, the Ground Test Vehicle out-performed everything in its wheelbase per Road & Track's historical data base, the company said.
For more information about the Switchblade and to follow its progress to launch, visit: www.SamsonSky.com.
