In the future of eleven years ago as imagined 37 years ago by the makers of the Back To The Future trilogy, cars can fly. As Doc Brown ominously said at the end of Part I, before embarking to 2015, “Roads? Where we’re going, we don’t need roads.” So shocking was this that upon Marty’s arrival in the future, he didn’t even notice that his girlfriend was no longer Claudia Wells but was instead Elizabeth Shue.
The DeLorean time machine transitions to flight with exceptional elegance, it’s turbine wheels pivoting until parallel with the ground (90 degrees of camber, if you want to get technical) and becoming actual turbines to elevate the machine.
… Or maybe they were gravity-reflectors or something; the tech is never specified, though the film is quite specific about one where one goes to get a formerly land-bound car hover-converted, and what it costs. Just swing by Goldie Wilson III’s Hover Conversions, and he’ll fix you up for $39,999.99. Which seems not bad, really.
As seen in the topshot and below, baddie Griff has had his 1976 BMW 633CSi hover-converted, and the required gizmos are not incorporated into the bodywork at all, unlike the DeLorean. This must be one of the economy $39,999.99 jobs.
There’s also a brief appearance by a hover-Stang. It too is crudely converted integeration-wise, but painting the bits body color helps.
Later in the film, Old Biff takes a ride in a hover cab that is unmistakably a Citroen DS:
Though only on screen for a few seconds, considerable care was taken to determine how it would convert to flight mode while maintaining some of the DS’ suspension flavor. Here’s a full 20 minutes devoted to it, which is where the screen grabs below came from:
Another quickie: the flying Jeep YJ – does David Tracy know about this? – that descends just in time for Marty to escape Griff and his hoverboarding gang. The YJ appears to have no wheel-pivoting system and flies on thrust alone. Or maybe we’re to assume the wheels transitioned from flight mode to road mode before the shot, and we’re just seeing landing thrusters? The important thing is: flying Jeep!
Lots of fun for an Autopian Asks, don’t you think? You’re a Hill Valley resident of 2015 with at least $39,999.99 to spend giving an earthbound car the gift of flight. What cars would you bring to Goldie Wilson III?
Photos and screen grabs: Universal Studios
Avanti. Nothing more to be said
C4 Corvette, never before!
How bout that 84 AMC Eagle wagon w/ wood paneling that was in the movie driven by Jennifer’s Dad
Also:
-A Checker cab like in Fifth Element
(has been mentioned)
-A Cadillac hearse
-76 Chrysler New Yorker or 79 Lincoln Mark V Bill Blass
(These can be considered flying boats/”sky” yachts!)
-70’s Chevy conversion van (BTTF+Scooby Doo? Ha ha) I can use it to “live in a VAN down by the (sky)RIVER!”
Nothing proves we are in the dark timeline where Biff Tannen rules supreme like current automotive design trends.
The only way an EV crossover could conceivably fly is if the diver misses the “Bridge Out” sign while fiddling with their Apple Vision Pro.
Damn Sports Almanac! Send me to the timeline where Elio Motors is a sales sensation so I can give their autocycle the old hover conversion!
I had my MGB converted. To be true to its British roots, I went with a Lucas conversion. The front wheels are stuck in hover mode and the rears are stuck in drive mode. I can drive around like this as it is RWD but am worried that if I push the button again, the positions will switch and it will be fully immobile.
Surely it’s the Alfa Romeo Disco Volante ?
Definitely a Citroen XM. And a Citroen BX. They already look the part.
They can already fly, but Citroen disables the tech when they leave French territory.