Bizarre 1985 Pulse Autocycle is a car crossed with a motorcycle with a jet fighter thrown in
Published on Dec 25, 2025 at 12:23 AM (UTC+4)
by Molly Davidson
Last updated on Dec 09, 2025 at 4:42 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Mason Jones
The 1985 Pulse Autocycle looks like what happens when you mash a car, a motorcycle, and a jet fighter into one machine.
It’s long, low, and shaped like a cockpit that somehow escaped the runway.
Built in the mid-’80s, it still looks like it’s waiting for clearance to take off.
And now it’s back online, showing up for auction on Bring a Trailer.
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The Pulse Autocycle that thought it could fly
Designed by aircraft engineer James Bede, the Pulse was his attempt to bring aviation logic to the highway.
Owosso Motor Car Company took the idea into production between 1985 and 1990, building just 326 examples.
Each one was a slender fiberglass capsule with tandem seating, a clear canopy, and tiny side wheels to keep it upright.
It had pedals and a steering wheel like a car, but underneath lived a motorcycle drivetrain – usually a Yamaha XS400 twin or a Honda Gold Wing flat-four.
In motion, it behaved like nothing else.
The body tracked down the center of the lane, the outriggers barely brushing the surface, and the driver sat low enough to feel the white lines blur by.
It didn’t tilt into corners, but it still managed to trick your brain into thinking you were taxiing for take-off.
How much does a Pulse Autocycle cost?
One of these rare survivors – chassis #162 – has just changed hands on Bring a Trailer, selling for $22,750.
It spent most of its life tucked away in storage before its current owner commissioned a complete rebuild in Florida.
The work included fitting a 399cc Yamaha twin, rebuilding the clutch and brakes, and giving the red fiberglass body a full cosmetic overhaul.
Inside, it’s pure time capsule: brown vinyl trim, lap belts, and a Pioneer cassette deck.
When the listing hit Bring a Trailer, it instantly stood out – a bright red relic among Porsches and Ferraris, more jet fighter than motorcycle.
It’s the kind of lot that makes collectors curious again.
Because the Pulse was never about logic, it was about imagination on wheels.
And four decades later, it still looks less like a vehicle and more like a dare that somehow got built.
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Molly Davidson is a Junior Content Writer at Supercar Blondie. Based in Melbourne, she holds a double Bachelor’s degree in Arts/Law from Swinburne University and a Master’s of Writing and Publishing from RMIT. Molly has contributed to a range of magazines and journals, developing a strong interest in lifestyle and car news content. When she’s not writing, she’s spending quality time with her rescue English staffy, Boof.
