Is it a motorcycle? Is it a car? Every once in a while, someone builds a vehicle that forces those who see it to ask those two questions, or reasonable facsimiles thereof. In the 1970s, the Quasar was there to prompt that question; first as a concept, then later as a 'production' motorbike. I'm putting 'production' in quotes because the total number made by the end only just got into the double digits.
Most of them were as British as could be, and the first 21 reportedly repurposed engines from Reliant Robins. They were shaft-driven, and included features like a hot-air blower for the handlebars, hydraulic disc brakes all around, leading link front suspension, a reclining (!) leather seat that placed the rider's feet forward, a lockable luggage compartment with a two cubic foot capacity, and of course what Quasar's designers said was a very aerodynamic "up-and-over fairing."
How aerodynamic, exactly? One could allegedly do over 100 mph whilst operating a Quasar, and the whole point was to be able to do it in a sustained, comfortable fashion, such as one might encounter if one was to take their Quasar on a motorway for an extended period of time and not get stuck in traffic.
Remember how I said that a Reliant Robin engine was used for most of these? Here's where we get to the interesting part. This particular one, which is about to go up for auction in October 2025, is the very last one made. In fact, it remained unfinished in creator Malcolm Newell's lifetime, but someone saw fit to continue his work and eventually finished this one off.
Instead of a Reliant Robin engine, it opts for a Suzuki GS 850 mill instead. Mike Ryan, who built Top Gear's amphibious cars, completed this build in 2022. Other things that distinguish it from other Quasars include Bob Tait hub center steering, and also a set of Girling front brakes.
Charterhouse Auctioneers estimates that this extremely rare machine will fetch somewhere in the range of £6000 to £7000 (about US $8,180 to $9,543 at the time of writing), but it's unclear what will actually happen when it goes up for auction in October 2025. If you're interested, though, you should probably look into auction registration so you can participate when this incredibly strange machine becomes available.
Gallery: 1980 Quasar Mk 2 - Suzuki
