[Aliska]

It sounds like it could be some kind of jet assisted takeoff vehicle (JATO). I never knew specifics of those, just that there were development bids being solicited by the military. I thought the purpose was for planes to take off vertically, not cars.

Could be way off, just popped in my head by what you said. Now it sounds somewhat like drones minus the jets.

There is some kind of prototype of a rocket car according to that model I found by googling.

[ak267]

lands and ascends like a helicopter with its central rotor but once in the air it activates the jets.