Spinner is the generic term for the fictional flying cars used in the film Blade Runner. A Spinner can be driven as a ground-based vehicle, take off vertically, hover, and cruise using jet propulsion much like the Vertical Take-Off and Landing aircraft currently in use today. They are used extensively by the police to patrol and survey the population, and it is clear that despite restrictions wealthy people can acquire spinner licenses. The vehicle was conceived and designed by Syd Mead and has been "replicated" in subsequent films such as The Fifth Element and the Star Wars prequel trilogy. These films have the popular vision of flying cars, and people use spinners like traditional cars; in Blade Runner, the flying cars substitute for helicopters and very light jets.
Designer Mead has described the spinner as an aerodyne – a vehicle which directs air downward to create lift, though press kits for the film stated that the spinner was propelled by three engines: "conventional internal combustion, jet and anti-gravity".
Blade Runner - Spinners are seen prominently in Blade Runner. Deckard and Gaff are seen riding in police spinners, and other various spinners driven by the "general" public, Very Important Person public are seen flying through the city.
Trancers - The sedan used by Deckard can be seen in a repair shop.
Solar Crisis - A repainted police spinner is used.
Soldier - A spinner can be seen in a pile of wrecked vehicles in one scene.
Out-of-universe appearances
The film Back to the FuturePart IIpaid homage to the Spinner from Blade Runner in that a garishly repainted spinner can be seen parked on a street.
Another tribute to the Blade Runner spinner can be seen at various points in the Star Wars films: they are seen in ' and '. The homage was made in part because of the similarities between 2019 Los Angeles, as seen in Blade Runner, and the landscape of the planet Coruscant, as seen in the Star Wars films.
The video gameSnatcher has 'flying cars' that are extremely similar to Spinners.
The THQ published video game developed by Paradigm Entertainment has an unlockable vehicle heavily influenced by the Spinner's design.
