The world is fascinated with hybrid and electric cars, and gamers are fascinated with Mario Kart. Leave it to Nintendo to find a way to generate buzz among both audiences by creating two full-size and fully electric Mario Kart cars that will be on display at the LA Auto Show from Nov. 18-27. The real-life karts are a promotional stunt for the upcoming Mario Kart 7 video game for the Nintendo 3DS.
These unique electric vehicles were unveiled today at the LA Auto Show, where they will be on display Nov. 18-27 in the West Hall lobby of the LA Convention Center. Show attendees can take photos of the karts, sample the Mario Kart 7 game before its Dec. 4 launch and participate in multiplayer game play. Two winners will also go home with them; the details for that promo are below.
To create the cars, Nintendo teamed up with West Coast Customs to create life-size models of two karts, one for Mario and one for Luigi. West Coast Customs is known for TV shows such as the classic Pimp My Ride on MTV and the current show Inside West Coast Customs on the Velocity Network. The company has re-created two vehicles from Mario Kart 7: the classic Mario Standard kart, complete with glider attachment for soaring through the air; and the Luigi Bumble V kart, which resembles a bumblebee and features a rear propeller for underwater navigation.
In early 2012, an episode of Inside West Coast Customs will show how West Coast Customs and Nintendo worked together to make these video game vehicles a reality.
Members of the GameStop PowerUp Rewards program will have the chance to go home with one of the real-life Mario Karts as part of the monthly “Epic Reward Giveaway” program. To be eligible for entry, members must make a purchase or trade at their local GameStop or on GameStop.com during the month of December. PowerUp Rewards Pro Members automatically get two entries with purchase.
