Iconic American marque enters the world’s first electric flying car racing series as a constructor, with the DeLorean Airspeeder Team racing from November 2026

Announced at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026, the entry puts the DeLorean name on the grid of the Airspeeder International Series and on the United States race aircraft

DeLorean Motor Company today announced at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 that it will enter the Airspeeder International Series, the world’s first racing series for electric flying cars, as constructor of the United States Airspeeder team. The team will compete as the DeLorean Airspeeder Team and will make its race debut when the 2026–27 season opens in November 2026.

The entry brings one of the most recognizable names in automotive history to the grid of a sport built on electric propulsion, advanced flight control and AI-enabled safety systems. It also makes DeLorean the first American constructor in flying car racing, lining up against national teams from around the world in the first international season of the series.

The aircraft design, pilot line-up and sporting program will be revealed ahead of the season opener.

The road was only ever the beginning

DeLorean holds a singular place in automotive culture. For more than four decades the name has stood for bold design, independence and a stubborn fascination with what comes next. For most of that time, the world has pictured a DeLorean leaving the road behind.

Airspeeder was founded on an equally direct idea: that electric flying cars should be developed the way the automobile was, through the pressure, scrutiny and spectacle of racing.

“DeLorean has always stood for the courage to imagine transportation differently,” said Cameron Wynne, Chief Brand Officer, DeLorean Motor Company. “People have pictured a DeLorean in the sky for forty years. We decided it was time to stop picturing it.

Matt Pearson, Founder and CEO, Airspeeder, said: “DeLorean is the original flying car brand. Long before anyone had built one, the whole world already knew what a flying DeLorean looked like. Every great racing series is defined by the constructors who choose to compete in it. To have an American icon line up on our grid in our first international season tells you where this sport is going. America has repeatedly changed how the world moves, on the road, in the air and beyond, and the DeLorean Airspeeder Team carries that ambition into a new arena.”

What it means to be a constructor

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 team will race the Airspeeder Mk3C, with DeLorean leading its design identity. The constructor role grows from there. The DeLorean Airspeeder for the 2027–28 season will be designed in collaboration with student engineering teams at universities across the United States, including the University of California, collaborators at UC Berkeley and Georgia Tech, bringing American engineering and design talent into the development of a race aircraft.

Why flying cars matter to DeLorean

“Motorsport has always been where mobility brands prove themselves. Competition compresses development cycles: systems are tested in public, teams learn quickly and performance is measured under pressure.

Through its partnership with Airspeeder, DeLorean 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. While widespread use remains over the horizon, the opportunity is significant. By engaging early, DeLorean is positioning to help turn future mobility from a vision into practical, scalable reality," Wynne said.

For DeLorean, the Airspeeder International Series is a live proving ground at the moment electric flight moves from prototype to product, in front of a global audience that cares about technology, design, gaming and culture as much as it cares about lap times. It gives the marque a place at the front of advanced air mobility, and gives a new generation of fans a reason to care about the name.

The race program is the first chapter. DeLorean and Airspeeder will share more about where the constructor relationship leads, on and off the grid, in the coming months.