Flying car concepts are nothing new to Blackbird, but most of the examples we’ve featured in the past aim to serve as public or private transport. Australian startup Alauda is targeting a different goal, hoping to hold the first Grand Prix for flying cars.

The Airspeeder flying race car is inspired by the golden age of motorsport, with its body taken from an old 1960s Formula V car then retrofitted inside the test frame with wooden propellers. Alauda would like to build the final Airspeeder Mark 1 with an aerospace grade aluminium frame and fibre composite shell and have it powered by four 50 kW electric motors and lithium ion batteries, going for a top speed of 250 km/h.

So far flying tests have been completed with a 1:3 prototype, however a full scale prototype has been built. Alauda is in the process of raising sufficient funds to get the Mark 1 demo flight underway and to build two units for the first unmanned test race, eventually holding the first Airspeeder Grand Prix by end of 2020. With two weeks to go on its Kickstarter campaign and having reached less than 10% of the target, it does not look promising for the race. But, as they say, it’s not over until the fat lady sings.