This is a Lotus-Renault 98T-style go kart, it was built specifically to resemble the car driven by Ayrton Senna in the 1986 Formula 1 season in which he took eight pole positions, eight podium places, and two wins.
This go kart was built on a modified Bird Engineering tubular steel chassis, it’s powered by the venerable Briggs & Stratton 5 bhp single-cylinder engine which turns the rear live axle via a centrifugal clutch and chain drive.
This go kart has been cleverly modified to resemble the Lotus-Renault 98T F1 car, it has a fiberglass body, front and rear wings, Margay Series 24 3-piece wheels, and that classic John Player Special livery.
Bird Engineering was a popular go kart manufacturer who developed and sold a range of models, often selling them via ads in the back of magazines. Their go karts had simple tubular steel frame with a live axle rear end. They could be ordered with one or two engines, and one or two disc brakes among many other options.
As with most go karts it’s a single seater that can accommodate children and (most) adults, the controls consist of a steering wheel, an accelerator pedal, and a brake pedal – making it nice and easy to drive for everyone.
Stopping is accomplished with a rear disc brake, a standard arrangement on many go karts, and it’s fitted with attractive staggered-diameter Margay Series 24 3-piece wheels, a stainless steel exhaust, a fiberglass Emmick seat, and a replica MOMO-style steering wheel with a quick-release hub.
Bird Engineering produced go karts and go kart chassis for many years, selling them nationwide from ads placed in the back of automotive and enthusiast magazines.
Go karts have always offered the cheapest entry into the world of motorsport, with many future Formula 1 champions starting out in karts before working their way up the formulas into the pinnacle of racing – including Ayrton Senna.
This kart is currently being offered for sale on Bring a Trailer out of Point Pleasant Boro, New Jersey on a bill of sale. If you’d like to read more about it or register to bid you can visit the listing here.
+ Editor’s Note – This kart was built by Travis Weiss over at Project Weiss, you can follow him on Instagram here to see his new creations.
Images courtesy of Bring a Trailer
Articles that Ben 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.
