This is an original twin-engined Margay Cheetah go-kart from 1970. It now benefits from a refurbishment, and it now presents in excellent condition throughout waiting for a new owner to take it racing.
Twin-engined karts like this became popular in the 1960s and into the 1970s when the variety of suitable engines was low – so an obvious solution was to just pair up two standard engines and double your power instantly.
This is an original twin-engined Margay Cheetah go-kart from 1970. It now benefits from a refurbishment, and it now presents in excellent condition throughout waiting for a new owner to take it racing.
History Speedrun: Margay Go Karts
Margay Racing was founded in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1964 by Elmer Freber – it initially operated under the name Mar-Kart. The company’s early success came from a patented quick-change gearbox that allowed racers to swap gears more efficiently – a key advantage allowing racers to switch out gearboxes and match their ratios to the specific track where they would be racing.
Not long after this, Margay acquired the assets of King Kart, a move that instantly expanded its chassis lineup significantly and boosted its production capacity.
By the late 1960s, Margay had firmly established itself as one of America’s leading kart manufacturers. Its early “New Breed” chassis became a benchmark for US sprint racing, known for its good balance and tuneability.
Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Margay’s designs evolved with the sport, competing successfully in WKA and IKF events while always further refining chassis geometry and materials to keep pace with international karting developments.
The company’s headquarters have remained in St. Louis, where it continues to produce race-ready frames and parts. Under the leadership of Keith Freber, Margay has focused on both competitive racing and accessibility, launching the Ignite spec racing series to encourage equal competition using standardized Margay chassis and Briggs & Stratton 206 engines.
Twin-engined karts like this became popular in the 1960s and into the 1970s when the variety of suitable engines was low – so an obvious solution was to just pair up two standard engines and double your power instantly.
Margay now stands as the longest-running American kart manufacturer still in operation, with a history that spans six decades of grassroots and professional racing.
The Twin-Engine Margay Cheetah Go-Kart Shown Here
This is a 1970 Margay Cheetah is a twin-engine go-kart that that was refurbished after the seller bought it in 2023. The red powder-coated tubular frame presents beautifully, and it’s paired with a polished aluminum floorpan, a translucent seatback fuel tank, and a chrome rear bumper.
Power comes from a matched pair of McCulloch MC-91/B two-stroke singles, each fitted with flat-back carburetors, starter pulleys, GEM-style mufflers, and centrifugal clutches feeding individual drive chains that power the rear axle.
The kart sits on staggered 5-inch Margay split-rim wheels with black spokes and polished lips, shod with racing slicks with white Bridgestone lettering. Stopping power comes from a rear-mounted Hurst Airheart hydraulic disc brake with a left-side master cylinder.
This is a 1970 Margay Cheetah is a twin-engine go-kart that that was refurbished after the seller bought it in 2023. The red powder-coated tubular frame presents beautifully, and it’s paired with a polished aluminum floorpan, a translucent seatback fuel tank, and a chrome rear bumper.
The simple driver accommodation includes a black vinyl bucket seat and a Margay-branded red-and-black three-spoke steering wheel, positioned between twin foot pedals – one to stop and one to go.
The kart is now being offered for sale out of Roswell, Georgia on Bring a Trailer with a bill of sale. If you’d like to read more about it 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.
