This is a 1978 Bug Super Sprint C-Open go kart power by a matching pair of K99 Komet B-Bomb 135cc two-stroke engines, providing a combined displacement of 270cc.
Twin-engined karts like this first became popular in the 1960s, as they offered a simple and quick way to make the go kart form factor twice and powerful, without needing to source larger engines – you simply fitted two of the same and doubled your power.
his undated photograph shows Faye “Lady Bug” Pierson piloting one of her own karts. She became one of the best female kart racers in the country, a natural talent she joked was developed in her previous job of delivering newspapers by van.
History Speedrun: Bug Engineering
As the story goes, Bug Engineering was named almost by accident. Company founders Faye and Tom Pierson had been struggling to find a suitable name for their new go kart manufacturing venture but nothing seemed to fit. In a fit of frustration Faye said that it was really bugging her, the two laughed and settled on using Bug as the company name.
Faye and Tom grew their company rapidly, it was soon renamed K&P Engineering however many would always refer to it by its original name. Karting took off in popularity in the 1960s and no company was better positioned to take advantage of it.
K&P grew into a large purpose-built factory, they were manufacturing a slew of models, and karts built by them won countless races and championships over the decades.
A report in the 1960s noted that the company was manufacturing 320 karts per day, an astonishing number that would place them among the largest kart manufacturers in the world, if not the largest outright.
The company remained a major force in the American karting world for decades. Sadly Tom would pass away in 2000, Faye kept running the company with the help of her sons Tommy and Jon until 2014.
This is a 1978 Bug Super Sprint C-Open go kart power by a matching pair of K99 Komet B-Bomb 135cc two-stroke engines, providing a combined displacement of 270cc.
The Twin-Engined Bug Go Kart Shown Here
This is a twin-engined Bug Super Sprint Go Kart from 1978 that no benefits from a full, accurate restoration back to better-than-new condition.
This kart was built by World Kart Champion Lake Speed from two matching NOS factory engines and it was recently refreshed after a period of time in storage. Power is provided by dual K99 Komet B-Bomb 135cc two-stroke engines – these are among the most sought-after kart engines in the world.
The engines were rebuilt with billet Bennett connecting rods for longevity, MISI cast intake manifolds, Mikuni carburetors, and they have no damaged fins. Power is sent back through 11T Burco oil bath clutches with matched shoes, and the engines have overhead Kenrick 135cc B-Bomb NOS exhaust pipes, which are both ceramic coated black.
The chassis is an original factory 1978 Bug Super Sprint unit made from 4130 Chromoly steel, it was jig-table checked for straightness and correct factory caster/camber settings.
This is a twin-engined Bug Super Sprint Go Kart from 1978 that no benefits from a full, accurate restoration back to better-than-new condition.
It now has all NOS steering components, a restored, correct Super Sprint steering wheel, and a chrome steering shaft and spindles. It has a hand-laid fiberglass floor pan with a black gelcoat, and a hand-laid molded fiberglass seat in black epoxy.
The kart is now due to roll across the auction block with Mecum in mid-January and you can visit the listing here if you’d like to read more about it or register to bid.
Images courtesy of Mecum
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.
