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Weird

Meet the hovering TG Production Office

Published: 11 Apr 2014

This is called the Black Knight Transformer, and combines the virtues of helicopter, SUV, and Top Gear Production office.

Built by California-based Advanced Tactics, it's able to transport people and things at heights of up 3050 metres, and can be completely un-manned for ‘autonomous casualty evacuation'.

Six rotors provide the upward thrust, and they're individually controlled by a high-speed computerised feedback control system. This means you can keep it stable but you don't have any enormous props to worry about when you're transporting it.

Inside, like the TGPO, it has much interior volume relative to its overall footprint, measuring 9.5 metres long, 5.8 metres wide, and 2.5 metres tall. In flight configuration, it only weighs 1,995 kg, which is the same as the new Mercedes S63 AMG. The Black Knight is rather less adept at oversteer.

Anyway, when it's on the ground it'll hit 70 mph using what the company describes as ‘suspension and a drivetrain similar to those found in off-road trucks.' The modular SUV bit can also be removed and swapped with a boat hull, or just binned for more payload capacity.

Solution to Britain's housing crisis, right here?

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