If you love weird and wonderful machines then you are going to love the latest machine created by Ludovic Lazareth and his team, the LMV 496.
Dubbed "La Moto Volante" the LMV 496 is a hybrid motorcycle which at the touch of a button can transform into a flying hoverbike.
Looking like something from a Batman movie, on the road, the LMV 496's power is derived from a 5.2-liter V8 Maserati engine, in the air hydraulic actuators tilt the wheels into horizontal position. The upward thrust to the bike is provided by the 96,000-rpm Jetcat jet turbine in fitted in the hub of each wheel. The combined vertical thrust provided by the jet turbines equal to some 240 kg (529 lb), which helps the 140 kg (308 lb) motorcycle get airborne. Two extra jets can be added near the middle of the chassis to handle more weight.
The transition from the road mode to the flight mode is done by operating a simple switch on the dashboard and completes in just 60 seconds
LMV 496 joins Jetpack Aviation's Speeder as the only two jet-powered flying motorcycle concepts we've seen to date. Mind you, the Speeder is much more of a single-purpose vehicle without any road capability, and as such we'd expect its flight dynamics to be superior and less compromised.
Only five of these limited edition vehicles have been created with a price of €496,000 (approx. US$560,000).
