Neil Laughton

British adventurer and pilot Neil Laughton poses in his Parajet Skycar in London on Tuesday. Laughton and his Parajet Skycar Expedition team on Wednesday are kicking off a 3,600-mile journey from London to Timbuktu in the vehicle, which is essentially a dune buggy with a fan motor and paragliding wing attached. Creators call it the "world's first bio-fueled flying car."

The prototype Skycar will travel by land and air through France, Spain, Morocco, the Western Sahara, Mauritania, and Mali, returning home via Senegal. Joining Laughton for part of the trip will be engineer Gilo Cardozo, the brain behind the Parajet Skycar. The pair has participated in past flying expeditions to the Himalayas, Alps, and Venezuela.