In 1972, EJ Potter (also known as the Michigan Madman) showed off an incredible trike in Lakeland, Florida. Doing his best Dr. Strangelove impression, EJ basically straddled a Fairchild J-44 jet engine on wheels. It was a short lived experiment – the 1,200 hp rolling jet engine was claimed to have crested 200 mph before it crashed at 120 mph due to a parachute malfunction. Potter thankfully survived and he eventually sold the trike to Evel Knievel.
The debut of the Widow Maker. Photo from Moto Riders Universe.
Evel re-branded it the X-J44 Jet Cycle, and made sure to give it a patriotic paint job (plus a much better rear wheel setup, it would appear). I can’t find any history of Evel using it for a specific world record stunt, though he did run it at a few drag strips here and there.
Find this terrifying piece of Americana for sale in Santa Maria, California with a BIN of $199,999 or best offer here on eBay.