if he were to install the engine into the vertical position, he could have enjoyed occasional blast _over_ highway as the thrust of this engine (even without adding turbofan) seems to be just about enough to lift a stripped down VW Beetle.
It might be cool from an engineering perspective, but it's fucking stupid from a "there are other people on the road who's lives are now in danger" perspective.
Maybe. There are certainly places where you can find long straight runs of highway with no on ramps. Do that in the middle of the night and you are unlikely to encounter another vehicle.