A startrescue.co.uk story...

A Slovakian company has unveiled a working version of its flying car at Vienna's Pioneers Festival – the AeroMobil Flying Roadster 3.0, a production-ready vehicle that can reach 124mph in the air.

But the machine can also fit neatly into a standard parking space, and reach 100mph on land.

The car's manufacturer believes the machine could revolutionise the way we travel.

Some, however, have suggested the car is a little more than a 'boy's toy', since it possesses a number of practical drawbacks: It costs £172,000 and it requires a runway of several hundred metres in order to get airborne.

Presumably there would be some regulatory hurdles to overcome too, especially if there was a big take up.

Yet the AeroMobil Flying Roadster 3.0 is likely to capture the imaginations of many; being able to soar over the country, avoid traffic jams and get to one's destination "as the crow flies" – are all alluring draws.

And it doesn't even need special fuel; it runs on standard unleaded petrol.

On the road the machine is 5 foot wide, expanding to 27 feet when its wings are folded out.

Since the Seventies there have been a variety of flying car inventions, but none have been commercially viable. The first working version of the AeroMobil itself took 20 years to develop.

Impressive stuff, but as yet there don't appear to be any breakdown insurance providers for this type of transport. But when there are, you'll hear it here first.