bmw go-kart
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Gearhead Turns BMW Into Street-Legal Go-Kart


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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YoJAFCGlTLo

Go karting has always been reserved to renting a small chassis on wheels with a lawnmower engine and keeping it strictly on a closed course. It's a great time for all, but what if you want more? Maybe you're ready for a big boy go-kart. Sure, you can go build your own custom full-size go-kart with whatever engine and trans combo you want but forget about driving it on the street. Custom tube chassis vehicles are nearly impossible to register and cost a fortune to build or buy, so what are you to do?

Easy. Just take your motor vehicle, remove basically everything you see on the outside, add in a cool exoskeleton roll cage and -- voila --  you have a full-size, street-legal go-kart with a VIN number ready to roll. If that sounds crazy, then check out this BMW 540i owned by Will Knytych, a Honda tech from Alabama.

Krowrx/Facebook

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He acquired this exocar from Krowrx Fabrication on trade for his boosted Integra. It's a 1997 540i with the 4.4 liter V8 packing 282 horsepower and 318 lb-ft of torque. This power is sent to the rear wheels via the six speed Getrag transmission and with a welded rear diff, this lightweight go-kart/dune buggy is basically a drifting machine, making it perfect for a top speed test.

Knytych says driving the car around town feels just like a normal 540i, only when you get on it, you have to be really careful with the steering wheel so that the car doesn't get away from you. Understandable, considering it probably weighs half what it did stock.

Krowrx/Facebook

Will Knytych/Facebook

The car is registered, insured and has the necessary safety equipment, and Knytych drives it every day on public roads like a normal car with heat blowing in his face and the factory radio blasting. During Knytych's ownership of this neck-snapping attention getter, he's added an upgraded clutch, a windshield and has repaired a lot of wiring to make the car more functional.

Krowrx/Facebook

If you want something like this just give Krowrx Fabrication a call. They will perform similar modifications to any car or truck for about $2,500. These guys love cutting cars up so much they turned Will's old Integra into an exocar as well!

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This post was originally published on August 1, 2017.

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