Oldest original flying car in existence sells for $65,175

The oldest original flying car in existence has been auctioned at Red Baron Antiques.

Built in 1935, the exceptional car is the brainchild of Frank Skroback, a retired industrial technician and electrician based in Syracuse, New York.

With six fixed seven-foot-wide wings able to lift a 21-foot long steel fuselage, all wrapped in linen, Skroback's design was inspired by Henri Mignet, inventor of the tandem wing monoplane.


The amazing flying car, designed to use roads as runways

Skroback's idea was to modify Mignet's design with a multi-purposed vehicle: a car useable on both the ground and air, using the roads as runways.

Auctioned at Red Baron's massive sale in Atlanta, US, the flying automobile's final hammer price soared to $65,175.

It sold alongside hundreds of wild and wonderful rarities, including a classic and collectible white 1957 Ford Thunderbird convertible, with both hard and soft tops, auctioned for $16,500.

And, for those of you interested in the unusual name of the auction house which sold the car, "The Red Baron" was the alias of legendary German World War One fighter pilot, Manfred von Richthofen.

The Red Baron was also the cartoon dog Snoopy's imaginary foe in Charles Schultz's much loved mid-20th century comic strip, Peanuts.

An original Sunday comic strip from July 31, 1966, featuring Snoopy Vs the Red Baron and signed by Schulz himself, recently auctioned - also at Heritage - for an incredible $101,575.

 

Images: Red Baron Auctions


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