Rarely does a day pass that we don’t catch wind of some new “green” vehicle, in concept or production form that has a goal of reducing the environmental impact of transportation. News about the long-held dream of a practical flying car however, seems increasingly difficult to come by. Thank god then for the Parajet Skycar, which proposes to serve both of these vehicular masters, and look like a totally sweet dune buggy in the process.

Calling itself the “first carbon neutral flying car”, the Skycar is a bio-fuel powered, lightweight sports car, which happens to allow a driver to take to the skies when things get a little too congested curbside. Using “the latest ram-air wing” the Skycar claims to be able to take-off from a field or runway of less than 200 meters, while still being safe for beginners to control and fly. Making use of a 1.0-liter Yamaha R1 motorcycle engine modified to run on biodiesel, the buggy will supposedly be good for a 0 to 62 mph blast in 4.5 seconds and a top speed of around 112 mph. Conversion between the two modes is said to take only three minutes or so.

Fly-by-night (sorry) flying car concepts have come and gone, but the Skycar team is preparing to put up or shut up in the spring of 2009, by planning a massive journey in the bi-mode vehicle from the U.K. to Mali in Africa. Consider us to be unconvinced about the expedition until we see further proof of it getting off the ground…as it were.

+ Skycar Expedition