Nintendo and West Coast Customs bring Mario Karts to life
Normally, Mario's Kart is just a bit of virtual video game magic, confined to a world where turtle shells fly and banana peels litter racetracks. But Nintendo has joined forces with auto shop West Coast Customs to produce two real life Mario Karts, currently on display at the Los Angeles Auto Show. Both Mario's main ride, above, and Luigi's Bumble V kart were made, and both are equipped with front-wheel drive, 18-inch wheels in the back, and a propeller addon for traveling through water.
Unfortunately, that propeller doesn't really work underwater (so says the press release after the break), but the karts really do move. And their construction will be spotlighted in an upcoming episode of West Coast Customs' reality TV show. You can see more shots of the karts over on the company's site(including one of Reggie Fils-Aime himself driving), and the machines themselves are on display this week in Los Angeles.
http://www.joystiq.com/2011/11/17/ni...karts-to-life/
