Be Ironman Ivan Stewart Every Day in This Incredible Trophy Truck Go Kart
This is a surprisingly cool way to go racing, if you don't mind looking like Bowser in Mario Kart. The post Be Ironman Ivan Stewart Every Day in This Incredible Trophy Truck Go Kart appeared first on The Drive.
Going racing in a vintage truck is an expensive way to have fun on four wheels, but there are much cheaper ways to channel your inner Ivan Stewart. Auction site Bring a Trailer is currently selling a 1980s go-kart shaped just like the Toyota truck that Ironman raced decades ago.
Built by Arizona-based F.W. Leisure Industries, the go-kart features surprisingly accurate proportions considering it’s pretty much a big toy. It’s boxy, its front end wears a sticker that looks like the real truck’s grille (complete with auxiliary lights!), and the builders went through the trouble of adding the thin, long cab windows characteristic of 1980s Toyota trucks. The emblematic white, red, orange, and yellow livery is spot-on too, and the removable fiberglass body hides a tubular frame that’s sprayed with red bedliner-type paint.
There’s not much to the interior beyond a seat and a three-spoke steering wheel, which is par for the course for a go-kart, and it looks like this mini-truck is big enough for an adult to drive despite a seating position that’s best described as cartoon-like. You sit on it, not in it, so you’ll probably end up looking like Bowser in Mario Kart as you’re racing around a track (or, if you’re spectacularly brave, in the Baja 1000).
Power for the go-kart comes from a 212cc single-cylinder Predator engine, which is relatively straightforward to modify with off-the-shelf parts. It’s fitted with lawnmower-style pull starter, and it spins the rear wheels via a chain. Braking is handled by a single drum that’s located on the rear axle. The air-cooled single isn’t the original engine, but it’s a common upgrade that should make this kart a bit faster than stock.
Bidding currently stands at $1,450 with about a day left in the auction, and there’s no reserve so the highest bidder will take home a cool go-kart. If you want to start a collection of car-shaped go-karts, you’re in luck: Bring a Trailer is also selling a Grave Digger-inspired go-kart. It’s an odd coincidence, considering the two karts are listed by different sellers. The Grave Digger-inspired model features green LED underbody lighting, an electric starter, and a 5-hp, single-cylinder engine. It ends today, and bidding currently stands at $5,200 without a reserve.
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The post Be Ironman Ivan Stewart Every Day in This Incredible Trophy Truck Go Kart appeared first on The Drive.
