This is a Burger King-branded Indy Car go-kart that was built in-period by the Bird Corporation, one of the best known manufacturers in the space.
This kart now benefits from the fitment of a more modern 79cc Predator OHV single-cylinder engine, replacing the original unit that would likely have been either a Briggs & Stratton or Tecumseh flathead engine.
This is a Burger King-branded Indy Car go-kart that was built in-period by the Bird Corporation, one of the best known manufacturers in the space.
History Speedrun: Bird Corporation
Bird Engineering was a Nebraska-based manufacturer of go-karts, minibikes, and three-wheelers, founded in 1959 – right near the beginning of the go kart boom that exploded across the USA. The company was initially based in Omaha, Nebraska, though by the mid-to-late 1960s it had relocated to Fremont, Nebraska.
Bird built a huge range of smaller-sized recreational vehicles from the late 1950s through into the 1970s, most following a bird-themed naming convention. Go-kart models included the Hawk, Eagle, Starbird, Baja, Baja Magnum, and Funderbird, while the minibike lineup included the Wren, Lark, Duck, and Falcon, alongside a Mini MX motocross-style machine. Interestingly, Bird also made three-wheelers and offered T-Bucket roadster kits.
Bird products were sold directly and through major catalog retailers including Sears, JC Penney, and Montgomery Ward, often under the retailer’s own branding. A Sears-specification Starbird, for example, was stripped of the rubber pedal pads, aluminium split rims, hand-brake lever, and bodywork that came standard on the direct-sale version.
Mechanically, the karts were typical of their era. Tubular steel frames carried small Briggs & Stratton or Tecumseh flathead engines offering modest power, driving the rear axle through a centrifugal clutch and chain. Earlier 1960s models used scrub brakes, while later karts from the 1980s onward had either scrub or drum brakes.
Bird Engineering was bought out by Phoenix Engineering in the early 1980s. By the mid-to-late 1980s there were a bunch of entities operating under names like Bird Corporation, Bird USA Inc, and Bird Mini-Wheels – all based in Elkhorn, a small town west of Omaha. The exact corporate relationships between these names are seemingly lost to history, though they do appear to represent a continuation of the original Bird brand.
This kart now benefits from the fitment of a more modern 79cc Predator OHV single-cylinder engine, replacing the original unit that would likely have been either a Briggs & Stratton or Tecumseh flathead engine.
Under this later incarnation, the company shifted its focus toward fiberglass-bodied go-karts styled as miniature replicas of real racing cars. These included IndyCar-style open-wheelers, NASCAR-style stock cars wearing Ford Thunderbird and Buick bodywork with period sponsor liveries, Formula 1 replicas, and designs modeled on machines like the March 86C in which Al Unser Sr. won the 1987 Indianapolis 500.
A 1994 Ford Mustang Indianapolis 500 Pace Car replica was also produced in a limited run. Some of these later karts were built as promotional tools for automotive dealerships and gas station giveaways rather than standard retail products, though they remained fully functional machines built on tubular steel frames with Briggs & Stratton or Tecumseh engines.
Surviving Bird karts from both eras have become hugely collectible. Early Bird Engineering models like the Starbird are genuinely rare – one dedicated collector counted only 14 known examples in 2019 – while later fiberglass-bodied replicas surface periodically through specialist dealers and auction platforms, always generating plenty of interest.
The Burger King Indy Car Go-Kart Shown Here
This Bird Corporation Indy Car go kart is finished in yellow fiberglass bodywork wearing a red Burger King livery with Pepsi decals, and it has front and rear wings along with a chrome front roll hoop. The body shows some chips, and it comes with a reproduction manufacturer’s label with a serial number is applied to the floor pan.
The kart rides on 6-inch wheels that have been refinished in white and are fitted with bias-ply slick tyres. Braking is handled by a drum brake on the rear axle, a standard arrangement on karts from this era.
This Bird Corporation Indy Car go kart is finished in yellow fiberglass bodywork wearing a red Burger King livery with Pepsi decals, and it has front and rear wings along with a chrome front roll hoop.
Power comes from a 79cc Predator OHV single-cylinder engine, this engine was swapped in under prior ownership and it’s linked to a centrifugal clutch and chain drive. The cockpit has a single seat trimmed in black vinyl, positioned behind a steering yoke and pedals are mounted above the front axle. The tubular steel frame was repainted in black under current ownership.
It’s now offered at no reserve out of Hackettstown, New Jersey, on a bill of sale. If you’d like to read more or place a bid you can visit the listing here.
Images courtesy of Bring a Trailer
Articles that Ben Branch has written have been covered on CNN, Popular Mechanics, Smithsonian Magazine, Road & Track Magazine, the official Pinterest blog, the official eBay Motors blog, BuzzFeed, Autoweek Magazine, Wired Magazine, Autoblog, Gear Patrol, Jalopnik, The Verge, and many more.
Silodrome was founded by Ben back in 2010, in the years since the site has grown to become a world leader in the alternative and vintage motoring sector, with well over a million monthly readers from around the world and many hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.
