Buy this prototype flying car on eBay for a mere $5 million

Promises, promises. We've heard a lot about flying cars over the years, though we're still waiting to park one in the driveway.

If we rewind time, we can land back in 2001 when Moller International unveiled its prototype M400 Skycar. Now, if you have millions of dollars and room in your garage, you can own that prototype by buying it on eBay. 

The Skycar comes in a sassy fire-engine red color. "It is the world's first true VTOL (vertical-takeoff-and-landing) 'Flying Car' to be demonstrated," the auction description notes. The vehicle has been in the air in limited testing, but don't expect to fly it to the grocery store. It's really a museum piece at this point. It doesn't have government approval in the US, though it will come with its eight Rotapower engines. 

The Skycar has something in common with Ikea furniture: "Reassembling the M400 back to its original state will take some time." 

And there's the small matter of the price. The opening bid is $1 million (£770,000, AU$1.3 million), but there's a reserve on the auction. The buy-it-now price sits at a hefty $5 million (£3.9 million, AU$6.6 million). With five days left to run, no bidders have yet stepped into the fray. 

The Moller Skycar never went into production, though the company is still around and playing with flying-car concepts. The eBay description offers the buyer the opportunity to work with the company on getting Federal Aviation Administration approval for the Skycar, which sounds like it could be quite the challenge.

While you're contemplating this purchase, enjoy this optimistic video blast-from-the-past showing the Skycar hovering while tethered to a crane:

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