So I picked up this midget, gocart something the other day. It looks really cool, but what the hell is it? Any ideas? thanks
bigger than a 1/4 midget. might be 1/2 midget. Not a tQ or 3/4. It would be specific to some club that had rules as to size, weight, engine size etc. So that it could run with other cars that are similar enough to be competative. Looks large enough for an adult to drive. and would probly have a large 1 cyl. 5 or 8 hp. Back in the 40's 50's this would be a budget racer so no motorcycle engines would be used. Very nice find. and should be simple to clean up and make presentable. Small cars ususlly raced local to where they are found. Ask around to old timers what kind of small car racing there was.
I forwarded a link to noted "small car" restorer Gregg Kishline at Turner Autobody in Kenosha Wisconsin. He thinks it is an early 1950s home built from the period before 1/4 & 1/2 midget rules were standardized. In his opinion, very restoreable & collectible but very difficult to "value." The "market" pays for pedigree, history, and condition with a premium for emotional attachment. Gregg Kishline & Lance Turner have built and restore some amazing little race cars. To me, it looks like more work than full sized race cars as they can't buy parts and have to fabricate them from minimal information. The results are amazing though...
Examples of Gregg Kishline & Lance Turner small car projects: <tt><tt>a couple of Kurtis Super 500 1/4s Gregg bought and restored a Continental racing conversion [Luther 'Kong'] that Gregg found in western Canada a new old stock 1/2 midget roadster (51" wheelbase) Gregg found, built by Frank Werner (Milwaukee). It's the only other Indy roadster-styled car Gregg knows of other than the VikingCraft. The collection of their scaled cars taken at the '07 Miller Meet in Milwaukee </tt></tt>
I had a pair of quarter midgets years ago. One looked a lot like yours. A small adult would fit in the one like yours. I think they used 6in dia. wheels on all the cars. I've never heard of anything called a half-midget. But then I've never seen BoDiddly in person either.
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