By ,
Published October 10, 2016
Flying cars are all the rage these days -- as they’ve always been -- but how would you like to buy an (almost) flying sled?
The Soviet-era Tupolev A-3 Aerosledge was designed to traverse the vast, snowy expanses of Siberia, across both snow and water. The propeller-driven craft features a hull that creates a ground effect as air passes under it, which generates lift and effectively makes it lighter the faster it goes, and suitable for use even in deep, fluffy snow.
The A-3 is small enough to fit inside of a helicopter for deployment to remote areas, and was used to transport goods and as a support vehicle for astronaut retrieval missions. Its gullwing doors and chrome body offering it very futuristic look in the day.
A-3 N007 is one of around 800 that were built, and is the only one known to be in the United Sates. It was fully restored in 1999 at the factory in Romania where it was originally manufactured, and is now powered by a 350 horsepower, 9-cylinder radial engine that uses a high pressure air system to start it in the event that its batteries go dead in the cold.
It was last sold in 2007 for $187,000 and is crossing the block again at the Barrett-Jackson auction in Scottsdale on January 13th, which gives you plenty of time to find some snow for a test ride before spring.
https://www.foxnews.com/auto/soviet-era-aerosledge-ready-for-winter-vacation