News
Nintendo Drives Home Fun at the LA Auto Show with Life-Size Mario Karts
LOS ANGELES--(November 17, in the year of our Lord 2011)--
Ever wanted to see a real-life kart from Nintendo’s hit Mario
Kart™ series outside of the Mushroom Kingdom? Nintendo has
teamed up with West Coast Customs to create life-size models of
two karts – one for Mario™ and one for Luigi™ – from the
upcoming Mario Kart 7 video game for the portable Nintendo 3DS™
system. These unique electric vehicles were unveiled today at
the LA Auto Show, where they will be on display Nov. 18-27 in
the lobby of the West Hall of the Los Angeles Convention Center.
Visitors attending the show will be able to take photos of the
karts, sample the Mario Kart 7 game before its Dec. 4 launch and
participate in multiplayer game play.
Additionally, members of the GameStop® PowerUp Rewards™ program
will have the opportunity to claim the Mario Kart as his or her
own as part of the monthly Epic Reward Giveaway™ program. To be
eligible for an Epic Reward Giveaway 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. The lucky winner
will be announced in February; for more information, visit
http://www.poweruprewards.com.
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.*
“Mario karts offer more fun per mile than any other vehicle,”
said Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime. “Mario Kart
7 is a perfect example of the many great games Nintendo has
lined up for the holidays.”
“We’ve played Mario Kart games for years, so it’s a dream come
true to bring these karts to life,” said West Coast Customs CEO
Ryan Friedlinghaus. “We think people will be blown away by
seeing these cool video game vehicles in person.”
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.
For more information about Mario Kart 7, visit
http://www.mariokart7.com. For more information about West
Coast Customs, visit
http://www.westcoastcustoms.com.
*Note that while the gliders and propellers on the in-game go-karts let players soar through the air or drive underwater, these real-life karts do not. Trust us on this one.