McCulloch Kart Promotion Movie circa 1961

Digitally restored by VintagePowerSpo... - from 16mm film.
This video featuring actor Don Knots, reflects the humor of the time while providing a little insight into the design & manufacture of the short lived line of McCulloch racing karts. While McCulloch manufactured kart racing motors from 1959 to 1977, they only made karts for a couple years during the boom of kart racing. That boom was quickly followed by a Bust, and many kart manufacturers went out of business, this is when McCulloch stopped making karts. McCulloch kart engines were by far the most popular engines used on all karts at the time, and the engine side of the business remained worth while for McCulloch for many years until a combination of new owners and a drop in sales volume marked the end of an era for McCulloch. The Yamaha KT100 and Briggs & Straton 5hp engines quickly replaced the hole left by McCulloch exit from karting.
The engine Don is holding in the beginning of the video would be an MC6 kart engine, based on the date and what details can actually be seen. McCulloch intentionally did not say what model it was, probably because they were releasing new models about every 6-12 months at the time due to the highly competitive environment.
Learn more about vintage racing karts at
VKAKarting - the Vintage Karting Association
RearEngineKarts... - early era karts only
(VintagePowerSport.com has copyright usage permission from McCulloch Racing for distribution of McCulloch media)

[@SGB9]

I still have my Go Kart 800 hanging in my garage. We started racing in the dirt on the ranch in 1959 and at the then new paved track in San Jose, CA in 1960. I then got back into Karting in 1978, driving for Rich Burton's Magnum Karts until 1981.

[@stoker20]

Wow that Trophy Lady!! I grew up around a kart shop and track in the 60's. I had a Clinton with scrub brake. No mufflers on anything back then. Wow that Trophy Lady!!!! When I was a little kid I would have thought she was really old.

[@jerryshepherd1645]

Clinton E 65. West Bend 700 and 900 M C 6 Mc 10 Mc 20 never ran a power product Ran some 5 horse Briggs

[@jerryshepherd1645]

Love video thank you

[@666mrjimbo]

I LOVE DON KNOTTS HE IS SUCH A BADASS!

[@elioselectric468]

What's better than Don Knotts, Mcculloch Kart Motors and 60s editing? Nothing I tell you!

[@stclairstclair]

Well that's trophy girl was pretty stacked...

[@robertbrowning5143]

I raced a Dart Chappral in '72-'73 at G&J Kartway in Camdem, Ohio. we had the Monza Turn at back of straightaway. It was removed after '72 season.

[@billpyles8413]

I ran American Reed Jr at Camden and Eaton (Prebble County Fairgrounds) from 1968-1972, including the IKF Nationals in 1971.

[@terrier53]

I had a Rupp A Bone chassis with a Mac 101B.

[@kenpoulter7382]

I raced this car with a West Bend engine in-13 state championships in Hawaii 1959 1960 and 61 I started racing what it when I was 7 years old

[@russellnotestine6436]

My dad raced West Bend engines. Do you remember them burning Nitro? None of these videos is of the unlimited Nitro burners.. Odd

[@fatbuddycat]

That's is really awesome! I'm in my late 30s but when I was a kid all I ever wanted was what my father and his friends experienced. I feel good watching these videos, I never felt comfortable with the 80s, 90s or 2000s. I really like to hear about the good ol days from the generations before me. Unfortunately I think I got ripped off!

[@TheHeadlessHorseman]

Man I should of been born in the 50's. What a great time to be alive and into karting

[@michaelmartinez1345]

Classic early 60's gold!!! The message was clear, the choice is yours.... Drive a McCulloch to Win!!! They were good engines... I had a Mc91A (100cc)on a Dart Chaparell that really worked well .... I also had a Mc20 (80cc) before that Mc91A , that threw a rod... But I found out that I should have replaced the rod bolts on that Mc20 every time the caps were seperated, and if I did that, the Mc20 probably would not have blown up...

[@seanmiland]

made my day. Finally got to see these karts in action-way more sliding going on then I imagined!

[@metacosmos]

vey good, karts of 1961 as fasts the current karts.

[@erikswenson1760]

I still own my dads race kart with McCulloch motor

[@staatsfiend]

Then sell it to me!

[@stclairstclair]

I'm a mechanic and I built a pretty sweet vintage style kart but of course I'm running a modern small engine, Can you tell me what hp your engine is estimated to put out? And what's the rpm limit? Thanks

[@Paintppa1]

Ran dual 91B's back in the day on a Margay.

[@TheLinksbro]

I wish we could find more of these videos

[@_JamesBrown]

I run a bunch of Mac 10-10 saws and it's so cool to see that before the flying goose was out felling trees, they were in the auto industry, hot rodding the racing industry.

[@charliemorris2338]

I won a Mona bodied Rupp go-kart in 1966 with a 3.5 hp Tecumseh engine that would do about 35m.p.h.How fast were these 2-stroke McCulloch karts,people?

[@scubajeeper1]

What a hoot!

[@McMoparPro]

I love these old karts, I'd like to find one and restore it.

[@MasterSanders]

Wouldn’t you know his name would be Don?

[@tatonka6969]

I just picked up one of these in utah

[@Luminaring]

'ackerman steering' the only line he says, lol

[@666mrjimbo]

RIP DON

[@stclairstclair]

Damn that bitch was stacked!!! (Don't be offended, sometimes it's just got to come out that way)

[@666mrjimbo]

I FUCKING LOVE DON FUCKING KNOTTS

[@Gohot229]

You go Don, kissy kissy Wow...... :)

[@NuclearEngineerDOE]

Don was quite the ladies man too. Took that to heart.

[@JocoGorenc23]

Classis! :D I'd love to own one of these old karts! Would be interesting to compare to my 2009 Intrepid

[@kennethanderson1741]

MC 100 ON RUPP MIMI BIKE 65MPH +

[@motoboymatt]

9:08 That inner front wheel is barely touching the ground, and when it is it's counter steering like crazy.

[@PhatticusInch]

Didn't they also make chain saws?

[@markmckenna4303]

Yes

[@elioselectric468]

They made the best chainsaws in the world. Robert Paxton Mcculloch was a business genius, look him up on google.

[@stclairstclair]

There's an interesting story behind that!

[@dennisyoung4631]

Yes. Good ones, too.

[@OriginalAnonymous1]

Anyone know who the trophy girl was? She looks like Ann Wedgeworth who played the female character "Lana Shields" on the TV series "Three's Company" she was the upstairs neighbor who was hot for Jack Tripper

[@stevexxx6078]

when I saw Don Knots here it reminded me of something us racers say when have an old warn out motor. " I need a new bullet" Andy only gave Barney one "Bullet" at a time.....

[@KartechMotorsports]

is that the old landlord from three is company?? Mr farley I think??

[@Disneyfan1955]

Yes!

[@wildman318]

My father raced a McCulloch race kart with twin Mac 5's engines. Re won one championship and several runner up and 3rd place's thru out the 1950's and 1960's . He always said, " If you want to win, then buy a McCulloch" !

[@mansfield1582]

Jimmy Yamane designed the kart and also did some work for my father and i

[@HagFan87]

How many horsepower would a Mc10 have?

[@Iatolaazzahola]

Yup, Ralph Furley. Lol. Yeah, late 70s babes. Krissy was fine, but Janet had her beat by a mile. Love it!!! : )

[@mikeschoeffter7420]

Iatolaazzahola janet had a better ass

[@Iatolaazzahola]

@@mikeschoeffter7420 Janet had better everything, except the big smile Krissy had. Oh, BTW, they quit letting me hang out here until I changed my screen name from Iatolaazzahola. :-O

[@dirtpogoinbroke]

Barney Fife

[@ryanblevins9905]

Deputy fife

[@user-or4dm1fv3f]

He better not tell Thelma Lou he was kissing that girl.

[@markcaudill1993]

I call BS on Knotts winning LeMans lol

[@timothybryowsky6937]

Notice how the other racers behind don Knott's slowed down.

[@toddhutchens]

Just vibrating? We'll take care of that now.

[@hv3926]

Don Knotts for Bomber-the-Skeleton! kzbin.info/www/bejne/n2m2Z5hnrqaJatE

[@ericheyes5558]

Don was hung like a horse

[@timothybryowsky6937]

Who was the trophy girl? Actually it's hard to call her a girl. More like a full grown woman.

[@funone8716]

Her name was Bambi VonBimbo if you must know

[@timothybryowsky6937]

@@funone8716 thank you sounds like a made-up Hollywood name but I still Google the name.

[@funone8716]

@@timothybryowsky6937 It's just a joke

[@timothybryowsky6937]

@@funone8716 yeah, Bambi von bimbo did sound kind of fake now that I thought about it but thanks for the heads up anyway