Death Defying Gearhead Fun: The Mechanix Illustrated Highway Kart

In 1962 Mechanix Illustrated magazine published one of the most recklessly insane do it yourself projects of all time. Called the Highway Kart, it was a street legal go-kart with a 5hp engine, lights, license plates, and a frame of angle iron.
This idea was inspired by two guys driving around the world in go-karts and the editors somehow thought that their audience would like to have a shot at doing the same thing on their own.
The idea of driving a literal go-kart down the city streets and actual interstate highways is both hilarious and terrifying at the same time. Would you do it?
This is the story of the most wacko magazine how-to project ever, the Mechanix Illustrated Highway Kart.

[@DR_Neal_Rigger]

We were once a proper country..

[@hectorzambrano4092]

And now dominated by snowflake culture, and not just in the US either lmao.

[@oldsranch]

I was given, as a Christmas gift at the ripe age of 12, an old asphalt race kart that had room for two McCulloch engines, and had two axle sprockets, one for speed, one for acceleration. it was an oval track kart, set up for making left turns. In a straight line on a rural road, it was terrifyingly fast, even with one engine. The next summer, we have it out again, and i let a friend take a quick run in it down the road. He was at ludicrous speed (with a nod to Spaceballs - the movie) when he swerves to the right to miss a squirrel. A kart set up for left turns makes ugly abrupt ones to the right. He flies out of the kart and easily tumbles thru thick vegetation to a stop. The kart and its momentum, however violently harvested cornstalks with blinding efficiency. Everything and everyone lived to see another day. And I still have it hanging in the barn. Long live the 60s karts!

[@brianlohnes3079]

THIS IS FANTASTIC!!!

[@davidholliday6904]

Best story I've heard in a while!

[@chop_n_lowerspeedshop1079]

Any chance it might be for sale?

[@oldsranch]

@@chop_n_lowerspeedshop1079 no, saving it for a grandchild, I must perpetuate the bad decsions!

[@chop_n_lowerspeedshop1079]

@@oldsranch fair enough ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[@bigdarbysoundshack1421]

Drag week 2025 angle iron unlimited class

[@jelly7310]

Trailer burn outs and all. I'd watch that

[@mccanlessdesign]

&^$%&* Yeah!!!!!!!!!!!

[@Deuce1550]

But would it be faster than the Franklin?

[@_JamesBrown]

@Deuce1550 it's a reliability race at that point

[@Deuce1550]

@@_JamesBrown so true.

[@2ToneWalt]

People like that are the ones that make the world a great place to be in. 🤘

[@johnstorace1967]

I have a copy of that issue !

[@speedfreak8200]

In the 70's I inherited my gramps collection from the 30's through mid 70's I don't remember seeing that one .... I'm gonna do some digging

[@saturnfivehynrgrc581]

Would I do it, no. But I'm glad there were guys that did. I wouldn't get on top of a rocket and land on the moon. However I'm glad there were a few guys with the right stuff to do it. Instead I'll work on the kart or maintain the rocket so those guys can keep doing daring/amazing things. I'm an aircraft mechanic/inspector by trade so hence my perspective. Good stuff Brian keep it up. Like button energized.

[@brianlohnes3079]

I’m with you 100% on this one!

[@OddJobFix]

The right stuff. Good one.

[@Nordic_Mechanic]

The kind of respect and common sense you show is exactly what built such a great country

[@unclebuzz6913]

And this is why we need popular mechanics, science, and mechanics illustrated magazine back. I remember when we DID NOT LIVE IN A NANNY STATE AS WE DO TODAY..I WOULD LOVE TO HAVE 1 OR 4 OF THESE...

[@geneeasley23]

This is my favorite comment. I grew up in the 60s. I'm 64.

[@RobertBohnen]

My dad built a surfboard type of rack for his 1960 Volkswagen Beetle, so we could take my go-cart out to El Mirage dry lake. Those were some good times!

[@joshuagibson2520]

Hmmmm. I have a really nice complete oldschool kart frame tucked up under my back porch. I just might have to do something with it now. This video is my sign.

[@brianlohnes3079]

I am not responsible for anything that happens from this point forward.

[@3cressidas]

Sell it to me! I'm down to only 2 karts, but have a couple dozen engines still...

[@joshuagibson2520]

@@3cressidas then you should sell me an engine for it! Lol. If you're anywhere near E. TN I'd probably come off the frame. Do some trading and such.

[@3cressidas]

@@joshuagibson2520 Since many of the early Mac engines came directly from chainsaws, and later ones were based on the same castings, and other brands of engines also evolved from 2-cycle engines off of lawnmowers, saws, portable water pumps, etc., and in the late '60s the European kart engines started hitting our shores, it would be difficult to suggest an engine even halfway period correct. Something too new would probably lead to frame failure, and anything too old would be a waste of rare old engines, many of which are getting really hard to find parts for. I would suggest going on line at one of the many kart forums, like Bob's 4-cycle Karting (don't worry, there are a lot of 2-cycle, and vintage kart people there), or any Vintage kart forum, and posting some pictures of what chassis you have, to I.D. it, then go from there. You also can search on eBay for vintage kart magazines, books, engines, and parts. McCulloch stopped selling kart engines when they were bought out about '68, and Yamaha started selling their engines about '78, if I remember correctly. Don't forget to search foe 'Vintage karts' here on KZbin.

[@pinkyellowblue007]

You should build this with Freiburger

[@brianlohnes3079]

He’s nominated as the driver!

[@tomstiel7576]

@@brianlohnes3079 but it has to do burnouts

[@stephenlea5765]

@@brianlohnes3079 Driving in sandals no doubt!

[@joshuagibson2520]

The bumper requirement is hilarious. Your head would be the bumper since thats the same height as an automobile bumper. I think it's awesome. In it's day, I would absolutely drive something like this on the roads. Here in extremely rural Morgan Co, Tn I would even do it today.

[@brianlohnes3079]

Hahahaah

[@speedfreak8200]

Not the bumpers, the headlights I believe

[@Mr39knuck]

In the 70s, I would get pulled over by the cops for riding my go kart on the street. I received several lectures that I did not have headlights bumpers or insurance.😢. In my head I’m thinking hey, of course I don’t have that stuff. I’m just a kid. 😂

[@joshuagibson2520]

@@Mr39knuck indeed. I was 6 years old in 1985 on my Honda 70 fourwheeler riding on the berm when a deputy got me. He lectured and insisted I had to stay behind the telephone poles about 10 feet off the road.

[@allareasindex7984]

The automotive cartoonist Stan Mott had a series of silly articles published in Road & Track about an imaginary Italian economy car called the Cyclops, with one center-mounted headlight. It looked like a go kart with a single piece of sheet metal arched from front to back over the driver’s head with cut outs for the windshield and rear screen. The go kart in this story was clearly the inspiration. Mott’s Cyclops evolved over the years. According to his “reporting” the early versions had a piston made of wood, for light weight and low cost. Much later the imaginary Italian builder made a deal on a huge supply of wristwatches and the next Cyclops was powered by springs. One story had the Cyclops being shipped from Italy to the US without a ship: thousands of the tiny cars were lashed together into a floating mass which, incidentally, looked like a gigantic Cyclops car. Sorry I don’t have any of those old Road & Track magazines to show you, Brian. Just my memory which is pretty sharp about things from when I was young, though i couldn’t tell you what I had for breakfast yesterday.

[@brianlohnes3079]

Hahah Mott seems like an amazing guy from what I have gleaned and this creativity is proof

[@jhonsiders6077]

They did exist saw one here on you tube .

[@Pwl47]

I remember reading those stories. As I recall it supposedly ran on olive oil. I miss the great old magazines. I had subscriptions to Sportscar Graphic, Car and Driver, Road and Track, Argosy, and True among others. Great coverage and first class writers.

[@hrdlydangerous9675]

Would I drive that angle iron death trap on the highway? No. Would I drive a modern shifter kart on the highway? Yes. For one exit just to say I did.

[@brianlohnes3079]

Legitimately great take here.

[@ScoutSniper3124]

Not crazier than my buddy who built a kart using the 130+ bhp. engine from a ZX-11. Now that's CRAZY!

[@jimjoe9945]

Now we have street legal ATV's. Only slightly less dangerous.

[@allahsnackbar9915]

very very much less dangerous

[@bottomlands]

Hell, I don't like driving my little S-10 in traffic these days, half the people out there are looking at they phone!

[@allahsnackbar9915]

cause all the cars of today are boring as hell to drive

[@stephenlea5765]

And I thought driving my MG Midget in traffic was hazardous in the 80s!

[@LazloNQ]

Freedom baby! Accepting responsibility for yourself and living life! Sure beats retreating to the comfort of your armchair complaining about lack of safety. Find a King Midget and you have a street legal go kart! Would I take that specific go kart into interstate traffic today? No because the speed limits are higher. But if it had a Briggs or Predator V-twin and was engineered to go at interstate speeds, sure! Motorcycles do it with a smaller foot print. I've driven an air cooled Vw Bug on the interstate as well as a Smart Car. Also have ridden a Honda Reflex on the freeway at 70mph. A go kart would be even more fun!

[@brianlohnes3079]

Have done the VW and an Opel GT which were both hilarious one for sheer lack of guts and the other for sheer lack of size?

[@kennethanway7979]

I almost bought a king midget about 30yrs. ago.... too rough for me though...woulda, coulda, shoulda.

[@thesquirrelchroniclesakare7808]

When I was 10 I got a Fox built go kart and man that thing was bad ass. All the kids played at my house ! Circa 1974

[@Xsiondu]

I'm old but not old enough to have read that article but! My uncle built one when he was a kid and using his notebook from highschool. we built an angle iron gocarts in the early 90s. Might not have been the same but he did tell me that he copied the place out of popular mechanics and it could be street legal if we really wanted to.

[@brianlohnes3079]

That sounds like this one!

[@petem6291]

The world was a different place in 1962. The only thing crazier would be an article on how to build a go kart with that crazy rocket engine style axle ..

[@brianlohnes3079]

Hahah great point!!

[@UberLummox]

There are rocket karts out there, just so ya know!

[@johnboydTx]

No guts ...... No glory 🤷 I had a go cart 😊... Then I built a 1967 VW tube buggy A 1971 dune buggy the 70s &80s Now I'm old 🤷. I built a 1931 Chevy 1/2 ton speedster 😊 So enjoy your adventures 😜🍻 Happy Motoring ✌️🤠

[@Mr39knuck]

Around 1981 my buddies had a VW dune buggy with 18 inch wide Cragars on the rear megaphone exhaust, and zero safety features. We would drive from Westchester, New York across the Whitestone Bridge down the LIE to go to Jones Beach. I was the onboardMechanic, we always had a cooler full of beer. It really was not meant for the beach, but we were driving down the beach anyway and one day We had hit by a wave, knocking out the electrics. It was not easy to push start that thing in the sand to get it running again. Epic times for sure. In those days, some of the Toll gates had wooden barricades that would go up and down. Of course we would try to run the tolls by staying close to the car in front of us. I was driving and charged the gate. The barricade bent back on the windshield and then smacked me right in the head. 😓 Ouch!

[@johnboydTx]

@@Mr39knuck 😂 love a 400 dollar car ... Always great Fun 👍✌️🤠🍻

[@coolruehle]

That's almost one horsepower per cubic inch!!

[@sailordude2094]

Cubic foot I think, lol.

[@tedecker3792]

I raced a kart with the Mac 10. Awesome acceleration.

[@Charles-qq7vf]

So, about 15 years ago, I was sitting at a rainy, cold, vintage motorcycle swap, oogling the old Manco kart in the back of the truck next to me. Neither of us sold a damned thing that day, and as we were packing up, I asked "what do you want for the kart?" It was followed by "what do you want for the chrome Triumph oil tank?" One hand shook another, the other hand passed a chrome fifties Triumph oil tank, and four hands loaded a Manco Kart into the cavernous trunk of my 1948 Plymouth hot rod. A Briggs and Stratton 5 hp from a hot rod client's throw away tiller, was mounted on the back, and for my 45th Birthday, I bought a clutch and chain. Within days, our kart became our "home entertainment system" with everybody showing up to make a pass or two down out newly paved alley. My hot rod buddies dug it, my wife's co-workers (all adorable Channel Make Up girls from Nordstrom's) flocked to the house to take a spin. Then, watching Top Gear one night, I got the idea to ape their segment "Put A Star In a Reasonably Priced Car", and let friends and family compete. Soon everybody we knew had a timed lap of the alley on the board! The fun abruptly ended when my wife took off into the sunset one night, on the fastest run I've ever seen her make. The little megaphone stinger sang it's tune off into the darkness, followed by a solid, but dull, WHUMP! My beloved had managed to hit a 21 story building, that had been there for 50 years... Her return down the alley, was on three wheels, with the right front bent up over the frame, swearing profusely in both English and Cantonese at the same time. The general gist was, "Alleys much longer in Hong Kong!!!" I still have it, repaired it, just got busy. To answer your direct question, a simple YES will do. I'm known for being both adventurous, AND not real bright sometimes, so it would be a nice fit. To answer the same question even more directly, I did a couple times, ride it up to the grocery store 6 blocks away, just north of downtown Phoenix, giggling like a mental patient each time...

[@brianlohnes3079]

This is beyond phenomenal. Hahahahahaha

[@hank1556]

One time I took my 2001 Kawasaki KE100 on the interstate because the rout we were taking had a bridge out. Had that sucker wide open (55mph) for like 3 miles with 18 wheelers blasting by me. It was sketchy haha

[@martykath4427]

Locals and foreigners alike regularly take a big lap of Australia on "postie" Hondas . Most of them are 110cc and slow when loaded up.

[@stevenmiller6725]

Had a kart similar to that but 3.5 hp when I was a kid. Hard to keep it running (we did beat it up pretty bad). Not reliable enough for the interstate but it did see plenty of 2 lane roads in the 80's. A modern racing cart no problem that thing no way. Probably would have done it when I was young if I had the hp. and reliability.

[@brianlohnes3079]

I think when I was young I’d have done the same. Haha

[@quantumleap8888]

Its great to watch this very underrated channel growing! You put out some of the most entertaining and fascinating short Gear Head Documentaries Brian!

[@brianlohnes3079]

Thanks for watching and the support!

[@allareasindex7984]

Hey, it even has white wall tires! It may have been inexpensive, but how much did a Model T cost, like $50?

[@brianlohnes3079]

You are right on the money here. Never thought of it that way. Haha

[@Mopar46]

Not a go-kart, but in 1970 I had a street legal car which was just a chassis with 2 bucket seats; no body at all [think 4 wheeled motorcycle] not so many regulations back then, and this was in New Zealand. Got stopped by the cops every time I drove it, but like I said, it conformed to all the requirements of the time. Fun times!!!

[@dresdensvo]

No , Ive had current traffic nearly miss running over a Kenworth I was driving .

[@brianlohnes3079]

Hahahaahha

[@RogerLynn-l3t]

Since we made our karts from 2x4s and plywood scraps, this sounds like a major upgrade! Another unbelivable project in one of the magazines was a backyard roller coaster. My friend got it just about finished when his mom discovered it. Gone in 60 seconds!

[@donthompson2188]

My dad and our neighbor built a go cart back in the 60’s. It had a venerable 3.5hp Briggs & Stratton engine with centrifugal clutch, chain drive and, if you can believe it, hydraulic disc brakes. The chassis was made from welded 3” steel tube. It had rack and pinion steering with proper geometry. When I got to drive, it had chunks of 2x4 hose clamped to the pedals and the seat moved forward. Yes, it had an adjustable seat so all of us , including the adults, could drive it. Somewhere there is 8mm home movie footage of that cart ripping up the Oregon beaches. Fond memories for sure. And absolutely, we drove that sucker on the roads around Milwaukie.

[@sharkinstx]

“MRS W A LOHNES” - was that your mom? Your grandmother?

[@kenmericle409]

Back in the day a buddy of mine had a shifter racing cart. Nothing like a Saturday night after a couple Adult beverages firing that thing up and tearing through the neighborhood at 80-90 MPH... The good ol' days

[@sailordude2094]

Tom T Hall approves.

[@speedfreak8200]

What engine did it have, and what gearing? Did it have a speedo ?

[@stephenlea5765]

A buddy of mine got nasty scars on his shins when he lost control of his too fast go-cart and drove it up under the backend of a Chevy truck!

[@Pwl47]

Given all the giant pickup trucks on the road where I live even taking my MGB on the road is a cause for trepidation. A Go-Cart would be certain death. Maybe not so much in 1962 though, Traffic was lighter and highway speeds slower then now. I did build a go cart out of the plans from one of those magazines(can't remember which)that specified using electrical conduit for the frame. I brazed it together with a carbon arc torch at my high school metal shop.

[@61rampy65]

Cool! I built one out of conduit also! I had a Jacobson 2 stroke engine on it. Brakes were a paddle against one tire. Sold it to a kid, and his mother made me buy it back. Can't remember what happened to it after that.

[@3cressidas]

I still drive karts on public roads to this day, if for no other reason than to do a shakedown run before heading to a race that can be hundreds of miles away. Mostly just up & down the block a few times, but once back in the early '90s, I had just finished some upgrades on a friend's 250 shifter kart, and it had to be tested. A block ot two in my neighborhood wouldn't do, since it was capable of 140 mph. So went to the upper edge of town (here in San Antonio), north of loop 1604 on Judson road, that only went up to a cement factory. Nothing else on that end of Judson, and on the weekend, it was absolutely deserted. About a mile of strait blacktop, which was good enough to get the kart into 6th gear. Everything checked out, and the following week my customer, the late John White, took it to Kansas, to run the SWRR Nationals, and won the championship !! We miss you John !

[@pancudowny]

Only if it could do 70... which these days, isn't that hard to achieve: kzbin.info

[@jerrys9226]

Mind you this back when gas was about 20 cents a gallon. Glad these guys lived to talk about it, but would I do it? Hell no! Absolutely crazy! My brother and I loved Mechanix illustrated and Popular Science back in the late 50s and 1960s. There was a Go-cart craze back then, but on tracks only.

[@freedomfighter5095]

Certainly not interstate traffic. However almost every weekend I ride my 96CC megamoto mini bike between 3 small rural towns in Amish country and average 40 miles per ride. I would gladly and have often day dreamed of riding it from coast to coast. County roads preferably

[@tynancravy5589]

Probably, if given enough lights and reflectors 😂😂😂

[@mikepaul3959]

I build a go-kart using a Cushman scooter motor and transmission. With the right gearing it would outrun my friends '54 6 cyl. Chevy!

[@jerryloughney4757]

And, no. I wouldn’t drive that on today’s highways. Even with a tall orange flag. 😂 But while there’s so much careless driving these days, getting hit by a car from the 50s or 60s seems like it could hurt more given the size of them.

[@malakiblunt]

This seams crazy - but cars this small have always exsisted (in europe) -from the cyclecars of the 1920-30's to the micro cars of the 50/60's upto the single person electric cars of present day - the only difference being token bodywork of fabric or plastic

[@brianlohnes3079]

Great point

[@bobroberts2371]

In the USA, there is a " racing " series for modern built cycle cars. They have run at Laguna Seca and other tracks

[@Big31sky]

Not right now today, but maybe 6AM Sunday morning I might.

[@elantric]

In Cupertino, California in 1965 the local Gemco store ( like a Costco) sold Bird Engineering Go Carts next to lawn mowers in the garden department with a 3.5HP Clinton engine - my friend owned one, where at age 10-14 we would drive it on paved open non fenced basketball /track playground at JFK Junior High across the street. 1965-1969.

[@riverraisin1]

Being the wacko that I am, I had to immediately google 1010 Middle St Weymouth, Mass to see where the owner of that MI magazine lived. Was that your Mother, Brian?😁

[@Nordic_Mechanic]

Kinda like me finding Tyler Hoover of hoovies garage house adress from before the divorce

[@scottmalpass4802]

"Call me psyco One more time..."

[@brianlohnes3079]

HAHAHAHAH

[@SolamenteVees]

Nothing says Engineering Cred quite like spelling Mechanic's with an X.

[@brianlohnes3079]

Hey, they were around for like a half century plus, so it worked!

[@peterraffin2227]

I wouldn't personally but here in Aus I feel it would be the perfect city car with our continually dropping speed limit and tendency of people to drive at well under the speed limit. One bonus is it would never get licence plates here with our registration restrictions (or rules).

[@brianlohnes3079]

The outlaw kart!

[@JohnReynolds661]

I had a go-cart when I was 12 that was made from a swing set and had a B&S engine. Never had enough money for the clutch so it never ran under it's own power. So I would have the neighbor kids push me around in it. One day, a sketchy dude in a van pulled up to me and offered to buy it for $100 which is a hundred more than I had into it. With pride, I said no. I Wish I could get you to narrate my videos.

[@rockets4kids]

I want to go back to 1962.

[@AntonHoward-mx9sb]

I'm 3 seconds in to this video, and I just know I'm going to love it. The research and presentation is always superb Brian 😉 P.S. I'm between jobs at the moment and now you've given me some blueprints to play with tomorrow...........

[@usmc50lx]

Not gonna lie, I probably would. Only because my track record includes taking a 63mph Pit Bike down the interstate a just a few years ago so.. 🤷😂😂😂

[@SJR_Media_Group]

Seat Belts, Helmets, and Roll Bars weren't invented yet... just kidding... count me in...

[@brucemacduffee6969]

In 1962 I built a minibike The frame was 1/2 inch waterpipe brazed together using a homemade forge. I used the front fork assembly from a bicycle for the steering. It was powered by a Clinton A490 two-stroke engine. This was in Santa Cruz, California and it was street-legal. Back then all that was needed was brake lights.

[@sailordude2094]

Someone asked the guy filling up gas, Why don't you wear a helmet? The guy answered, What's the point? BTW, I live in a golf cart community but don't have one, they cost a lot! Maybe I can make this instead, lol. Also, looking at the magazine, I want to stay physically fit in only 36 seconds a day! Was that like having sex back then? Thanks for the video, amazing stuff. One last thing, notice how it's spelled Mechanix? You got no lawsuit if you followed their guidance.

[@mikepaul3959]

3 of us in high school ('65) added bicycle lights (with a generator that rubbed on a tire) & bigger engines to "Lil Indian" minibikes (about 18" tall & 30" long) to make them 60 mph+ street legal. My buddy rode his every day 20 miles each way to work and back. All 3 were used as daily drivers!

[@jaredcore8888]

Yes. but briefly though. make sure I can hit 100mph. I'll have to work on the suspension though. and have a flag for higher up visibility for others to see. lulz

[@thestarlightalchemist7333]

A kart? Nah, but if given the opportunity I'd totally drive on the highway in a compact car of my own design. Just depends on if I'd be able to build it.

[@mccanlessdesign]

Man, go-karts were such a great part of my '70s childhood - thanks for posting this!

[@donolbers]

Well, my brother drives his KM on the street occasionally, so I'll be off to the garage now to show him up.

[@lanternsown3525]

Total Mad Lads! I won't take it on the road if built Go Kart race track would be more suitable, especially you make it like a road course or an auto cross.

[@daves9616]

I have a feeling next to suicide driving a go-kart on the interstate would void my life insurance policy😅

[@anthonyrowland9072]

You could get GYROCOPTER plans in those magazines I know until like the 90s. lol

[@brianlohnes3079]

Hahahahaha - yes!

[@bobroberts2371]

The gyro copter with pulse jets on the rotor tips to make it spin. . .

[@anthonyrowland9072]

@@bobroberts2371 Somehow better than the pusher-style deathtraps...

[@shafferjoe1962]

In some places yes, most place no. But what a cool idea and thrilling ride that guy had😊

[@franktatom1837]

Mechanix Illustrated would have no legal liability for a person building the cart if the person was injured on the public roads while operating it. Assumption of the risk and contributory or comparative negligence would have been valid defenses, assuming injury was not caused by a third party, like a motorist that didn't see the cart. Cars back then had no safety equipment at all, either. And motorcyles now are as dangerous as the cart was then - they still make and sell them. Also, even now, media outlets aren't liable for showing idiotic stunts on tv (Jackass, for example) when people are injured trying to copy them, which is the same thing.

[@brianlohnes3079]

Wow! Awesome insight here!

[@badad0166]

Have you seen South East Asia lately, with 12 guys in a human pyramid on one Moped? This kart idea would have the same risk as any electric scooter of today, And at Popular Science they were always telling you how to make a rocket in your backyard. My Grampy gave me a subscription for a few Christmas'. Great fun. Current politics and propaganda ignored...

[@brianlohnes3079]

The wacky project and experiments are the best part of these old magazines. Neat memory of your grandfather!

[@PatDemitras]

Bicycle Heavan in Pgh has a go cart with a Maytag engine made from plans from Modern Mechanix mag 7:00 from 1937. It’s cool. Great content again, thanks!!!

[@brianlohnes3079]

That’s wild! Those Maytag engines are neat little units

[@cdjhyoung]

Drive this on the Interstate Highway? No. Heck, around here I'm uncomfortable driving my old Vibe on the Highway at the posted speed limit. But I live in a rural area that I could see driving this to town and back. I would add some visibility safety lights on it so I had half a chance that other drivers would see me. But not for long. The total lack of suspension is going to kill my back.

[@brianlohnes3079]

The lack of suspension I suspect would also cause the angle iron to flex to the point of work hardening and breaking too!

[@bobroberts2371]

Another idea for a story: Look up the Breezy Aircraft. Charles Roloff, Carl Unger, and Bob Liposky Prior to building the Breezy, one of these guys bought an airplane when he was 12, had it land in a near by field, took the wings off and taxied it on the country roads.

[@jhonsiders6077]

My father built one !!! And a couple of Pitts specials along with a auto gyro He was a aircraft engineer with the old Eastern airlines . he built my Gokart out of moly tubing

[@peternewman958]

The way people drive today there’s no way I would risk driving one of these on the. BRIAN LOHNES very interesting story but, and thanks.

[@brianlohnes3079]

Thanks for checking it out

[@ccaamm1]

Next months issue: Build Your Own Casket.

[@brianlohnes3079]

Bahahaaha

[@mikecurtis2585]

A definite no on driving in today's traffic. People are to distracted these days. Even in those days he was a brave man. I always loved reading those magazines. Always interesting! Thanks great story. Have a wonderful day!!!

[@brianlohnes3079]

Thanks Mike!

[@highwaystar8310]

When boys had balls! My cousin built one that looked a lot like this one now I know where he got the plans from! A few years later I ended up with it when I was about nine we had a huge back yard and I made my own track gas at 20 cents a gallon I would have hours of fun!

[@brianlohnes3079]

So awesome

[@FYMASMD]

After witnessing a buddy get crushed by a car while he was driving a go kart turned me off from go karts. He survived but was messed up for life.

[@brianlohnes3079]

Yikes! Sorry to hear about that.

[@LelandPratt-nw9ix]

Those were the days my friend! Mechanix Illustrated was for dreamers.

[@brianlohnes3079]

Good stuff!!!

[@No1414body]

Nope, go karts on street was outlawed fairly early because of accidents and armco decapitations

[@brianlohnes3079]

Yikessssss

[@TomGrooms2802]

Oh hell no, I'd drive a nitro funny car before I jumped on the highway in one of those things.

[@brianlohnes3079]

I think I agree with you!

[@mechanicalelizabeth]

Add independent suspension and enough get up and go that it can hit 80. And I just might. Still a DT on wheels.

[@brianlohnes3079]

I admire your bravery!

[@SpaceInTime1885]

Imagine how many smear stains there would be on the highway today... 😂😂😂😂😂

[@brianlohnes3079]

Hahah - ewwwwww

[@kh40yr]

I can't read any more of Lohnes crap. I'm late for work and the Kart is warmed up. Me and a buddy put a Sthil 090 chainsaw engine on a kart once. 13hp at about 4lbs of engine with MAGNESIUM engine case halves. We couldn't keep the front wheels on the ground. A rudimentiary wheelie bar was made with a bicycle kick stand. We tried to sprocket it up for speed, and burned the chainsaw clutch out of it. For those few fleeting high speed passes until clutch failure, , I would guess about 80mph. Soo lucky to be here.

[@brianlohnes3079]

That is mental!!!!

[@kh40yr]

@brianlohnes3079 Hey, it worked and we had fun. That's all that mattered back then. Sadly looking back , without a doubt , I say we won the lottery of the lucky living.

[@kennethhoovler9050]

It's not a whole lot different than all the people with ATVs and SXS here in rural Pennsylvania. Would I go in the interstate with one? No, but I could see doing it on the old 2-lane US highway system.

[@brianlohnes3079]

See the USA from your…angle iron go kart. Haha

[@kennethhoovler9050]

@@brianlohnes3079 I do think I would lengthen it to allow your legs to sit flat, and a little more padding for the posterior, but I do think it would be a lot of fun. If I can ride a motorcycle without a helmet, I should be able to ride a home-built death cart without one.

[@badad0166]

If you remember the cartoon magazine "CarToons", I had the issue with a cartoon cartoon on this very issue. The guy was showing, the motorcycle cop that had pulled him over, that it was legal, with all the signals and lights required etc. It ends when a transport blows by and the kart shreds to bits.

[@brianlohnes3079]

Hahahahaha

[@longrange1977]

CarToons! Thank you, I picked up a copy of this when I was a kid, in 1986, on holiday in Majorca of all places (I'm from UK), There was a cartoon about a guy with a beat up Porsche 911, who kept kind of failing upwards in it. Been trying to hunt down what it was ever since. Now time to hunt down and see if there are back issues available online...

[@jerryloughney4757]

And now we know how Mario Kart was born. 🤣

[@brianlohnes3079]

Bahahhhahahah

[@freemanautomotivedesign8536]

I had this mag back in the day(1970) and was going to do this, but my dad stopped me.

[@speedfreak8200]

Your story doesn't make any sense, does it ?

[@freemanautomotivedesign8536]

@@speedfreak8200 Easy, i had the mag at the age of 12, and was gathering parts. my dad saw what i was planing and said no way.

[@brandonrohrer7914]

If I could keep up with all traffic

[@brianlohnes3079]

I think that sucker would (eventually) go about 50-55mph but the merge would be hairy!

[@stuarthightower418]

The Citroen 2CV was closely related. LOL!

[@sailordude2094]

Like Inspector Jacques Clouseau's car, the Silver Hornet!

[@speedfreak8200]

There's a true story on YT back in the day a guy's Citroën broke down in the middle of BFE he turned it into a motorcycle, and off he went. Very entertaining story it shouldn't be too hard to find.....

[@mountainsgarage]

Would I drive one, yes! Why not, I had a good run to this point. I would equip mine with a flip-up headstone to save time at the end of my glorious ride out amongst the angry and distracted motorists.

[@iplaymytele]

Hell Yeah.. I’m Down….! 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@brianlohnes3079]

Buckle up…oh wait. Hahah

[@iplaymytele]

@@brianlohnes3079 Brian… Check out my 1961 Cushman Eagle 🦅 I am 70 years old and about six or seven years ago I installed a , 670 cc Predator motor in my 1961 Cushman eagle… ( The Jeff Galey Channel ) Video Title “ 670 V-Twin in 1961 Cushman Eagle “ Have a great weekend your friend, Jeff Galey …❤️🙏🏻🙏🏻👍🏻

[@cpoosch]

He did that on an MC10 and then an AH82? I'm impressed. They do make power though. Had an AH82 powered chainsaw (they were notorious for cracking the ears off the jug and mine did, but found a matched jug and slug to fix it) and my MC-92 and ported MC-101 powered saws are terrifying to operate.

[@whoaaanelly65]

Shoot, I stopped riding a motorcycle in 2024 traffic. Driving my vintage cars (no matter the horsepower) in 2024 traffic is nerve racking. So, no, not a chance in hell would I take this thing outside my neighborhood. Although, I guess, if I was still 20 and immortal, I might go slightly further.

[@pjnadeau4153]

Drag week 2016. Buddy’s Land Cruiser needs some parts. A phone call to Steve morris locates us some mopar parts for the Land Cruiser. Ok. Next step we get into my falcon and head from 131 into some suburb in Detroit. On the way to this parts warehouse we get some parts. They then sent us to an old school parts store, this place had wooden floors and nos model t kerosene headlights still on the shelf. As we pulled into the parking lot a guy, improperly wearing his tshirt, pulls out in front of us. But the kicker was he was driving a go cart. He pulls out. Stops then just pulls into traffic like it was nothing. The entire parts run was a trip. But a guy on a go cart just driving around some place near Detroit. Wild.

[@opforwarrior]

Sure... I was licensed to drive tanks on the autobahn... or, blindfolded, off a cliff... of couse I had a federal waiver against prosecution for manslaughter in conjunction with my duties. YMMV

[@slothzombi307]

I'd drive it. But I would need at least 8 hp, and a guarantee that it was legal. I'd drive it at 3 am on a divided 4 lane, but no Interstate. And a windshield and aero-shielding would be nice too. I think our hiways should be required to have a separate lane for any vehicle under about 600 lbs which doesn't exceed 100 kph.

[@quietv]

I would do it. Born in the early 70's and grew up in the 80's. We did stuff like this because it was fun and it made us feel alive. I remember in the late 80's a buddy had a cart with a 3.5hp Briggs on it. We used to run it on the highway all the time. Of course we didn't have driver's licenses and sure as shit our parents didn't know. It's just the way it was then and we had a blast. I had a Suzuki 250 enduro when I was 14 that I rode everywhere. I put 5k miles on it before I got my license 2 years later. Generation X the last of the truly free.

[@bobroberts2371]

Time 328 Stan Mott ( and Robert Wayne Cumberford ) see The Cyclops car ( Not the Art Arfons car ) Note that some modern versions have been built and have set recent land speed records at Bonneville Salt Flats. Also related is the Denbeigh car company. It might have been Car and Driver which, amongst other adventures , chronicled going to the dealership to have the oil changed in the wiper motor. Time 638 Back in the 60's, Clinton offered at You Assemble It small engine kit, ads used to be in similar magazines. Time 650 Spring crank engine starter. Oh the summer days hearing someone in the neighborhood winding up the spring on their mower then releasing the catch. . . over and over and over. . . As a side note we need pieces on some of the great adventure / sometimes fictional stories published in Road & Track / Car and Driver ( see Stan Mott, Peter Egan and similar ) Look for " MGA, Ferrari, Expanding foam, Road @ Track , Briggs Cunningham , John Burgess " , the car still exists , I've spoken to the son of the owner. Another hidden great story which has more behind it that the singular picture and caption that starts out " "Good tires", Bob mused . .. . "

[@sharkinstx]

Thanks for reminding me about Stan Mott. The Cyclops was a thing (both real and imagined) for years, off and on, in the pages of Road & Track.

[@Cougracer67]

I built a similar kart in 1961 or 2 from a different magazine's plans. It was based on a two piece driveshaft from a '59 or so Chevy. The longer part of the shaft was the main frame tube and the shorter shaft was the front axle, with 5/8" bolts welded to the u-joints for spindles. The rest of the kart used various parts from old farm machinery. I never tried to register it, just buzzed around on local farm roads.

[@doglegjake6788]

Back in the 70s, We used to share beer from car to car driving down the highway , And You could always pick up a cool hitchhiker That had some good weed to smoke along the trip 😂

[@tedecker3792]

Stan Mott’s trip was written about in Karting World magazine. Didn’t hear about this guy. He drove with Hile Silassie (sp) in Egypt I believe.

[@strykerentllc]

Would we do it? Today? LOL Not a chance. Cell phones and the legalization of the devil's lettuce has made today's roads sketchy to venture out on in a mil-surp MRAP, never mind a go-kart. LOL Long gone are the days when civility in public was commonplace. People actually said hello to one another when passing one another while walking on sidewalks. Today's society has their heads buried in their phones... Anyway, thanks for bringing another bright spot in history for all of us to enjoy, Brian. Cheers!

[@nancyschisler2940]

I have a set of these very plans. I had a similar factory built kart back in the mid sixties. Dad payed 15.00 for the kart. It was junk but it was my junk. It was the best learning tool one could ever have. The ratio of riding versus working was about two to one. Two Parts working and one part riding. I rode it on the street and just hoped the police didn’t catch me. Great fun!!!