US company Terrafugia develops car with wings

US company Terrafugia has put on display a prototype car that is also licensed to fly, at the New York International Auto Show.

Known as the Transition, the diverse vehicle has two seats, four wheels and retractable wings.

It is expected to be available next year, with a price tag in the region of $279,000 (£176,330).

In a test flight in March it flew at 1,400 feet for eight minutes.

Cliff Allen, Vice President of Sales at Terrafugia, said it was the first vehicle in the world to have met both the standards of the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) and the NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration).

This made it the first "street legal aeroplane", he said.