- Airspeeder International Series based around eVOTL vehicles.
- DeLorean team flying standard Airspeeder this year, planning its own next.
- Yes we know Airspeeder is a Star Wars thing too, but this is not about that.
DeLorean Motor Company is entering the Airspeeder International Series, the world's first official racing competition for flying cars. It will make its debut as the official US team when the 2026-27 series kicks off in November.
Okay, it's not exactly that DeLorean. It's not really even a car, more a personal electric air vehicle (PAV) because it doesn't have wheels.
In the Airspeeder International Series, national teams race electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft in three dimensions through electronically defined courses, rather than around a conventional circuit.
For its debut season, the DeLorean team will race the Airspeeder Mk3C, with DeLorean "leading its design identity". But the DeLorean Airspeeder for the 2027–28 season will be more bespoke, designed in collaboration with student engineering teams at universities across the United States. Still not a DMC-12 though.
Flying DeLoreans have been a popular cuture mainstay for 40 years thanks to the Back to the Future movies. The actual DeLorean Motor Company had gone bust before the first film was made.
The current incarnation was founded by UK-born, US-based busines man Stephen Wynne in 1995. It has specialised in parts and refurbishment for original cars, merchandise and has even even teased a new production model, although production plans have never come to fruitition.
So this is a bit different, But as somebody once said, your future is whatever you make it, so make it a good one.
What's the Airspeeder International Series about?
The idea of the series is to apply the same development principles to flying cars that have been used by the automotive industry for most of its history: "through the pressure, scrutiny and spectacle of racing".
The is sport built on a base of electric propulsion, advanced flight control and AI-enabled safety systems.
Through its partnership with Airspeeder, DeLorean says it "aims to participate at the ground level, advancing not only the technology behind flying vehicles but also the regulatory, safety and compliance frameworks required for their responsible adoption".
Airspeeder was founded by South African-born, Australia-domiciled Matt Pearson in 2018. It has been running race and demonstration events since 2021, including the EXA series. The Airspeeder International Series marks the beginning of a whole new programme.
Airspeeder craft can be flown remotely, but some are also designed to be crewed. It's not clear which pilot method is being use for the 2026-27 series.