Flying cars are the stuff of schoolboys' dreams, but self-taught engineer and inventor Giles Cardozo has made them reality with the Skycar.
As far back as the 1960s engineers were testing folding wings for cars to allow them to take to the air.
Mr Cardozo, the founder of Wiltshire-based firm Parajet, developed his design over 18 months using new flexible wing technology.
While on the ground, the Skycar runs off a biofuel-powered engine capable of taking it from 0-60mph in 4.5 seconds with a top speed of 108mph.
Rear-wheel drive and independent four-wheel suspension make it suitable for tough terrain - the expedition team say it is capable of "sports and rally car performance on or off the road".
Conversion to flight mode takes just three minutes - the parafoil wing folds into the boot of the car.
A powerful fan mounted on the rear of the car propels it to the take-off speed of 36mph and the Skycar can reach 66mph once airborne.
Cruising at 2,000 - 3,000 feet, the Skycar has a flying range of 180 miles and can reach a maximum altitude of 15,000 feet.
The engineers say it should be easier and safer to fly than any other aircraft as it has no pitch control - the pilot cannot make the nose dip or rise, making it impossible to stall or dive.
If the engine cuts out, the designers say, the pilot would be able to glide gently to the ground, the descent slowed by the parafoil.
In the event of the wing failing completely, a second reserve parachute can be deployed.
The Skycar is powered by a four-cylinder, 1000cc Yamaha R1 engine, which produces 150 horsepower, and runs on bioethanol.
Mr Cardozo, 29, from Dorset, said: "It's not like a car - it's more like a dune buggy.
"But no other dune buggy or car has flown like this thing before. It flies brilliantly.
"It flies at about 70mph and drives at 120mph, so it's a really cool bit of kit."
Mr Laughton said the car was so easy to fly that his two-year-old son could manage it.
"Once you reach 45mph the parachute fills with air and gives lift, so the car's weight - 600-odd kilos - is supported by in effect a silk handkerchief."