vintage kart questions ???

[George Vorrilas]

We own a kart shop in the Northeast and had a customer stop by and mentioned that he had a kart at his home that he and his dad raced years ago. He tells me that it has a pair of mac 101's on it.. he was not sure of what the chassis manufacturer was. He has finally come to the conclusion that he will never run it again and want to part with it and felt we may be a good home. He is scheduled to bring it by in the next week or two and wants me to make him an offer on it.. I realize that I am providing very limited information but I am looking for a range of what the value may be. I certainly don't want to insult the owner with a low ball figure or on the other hand, don't want to over pay. So what I am asking is for a "ball park range".
Go easy guys, I know that I am asking for a crystal ball response to a loaded question, but want to be fair to our customer, and would love to end up with a cool vintage kart.. wish I had pictures to post but my gut tells me it is going to arrive in the back of a pickup truck and I will need to either buy it or pass.

thanks George V,

ApexKartSports
www.apexkart.com
978-479-7974

email apexkart@comcast.net

[Steve O'Hara]

George,

Complete stock Mc 101 engines routinely sell for $750 to $1,000 each on ebay. If they are modified they may bring more or less depending on what was done. If they have after market add ons like GEM dual carb setups the price can jump $200 to $400.
If the kart is a runner from the late 60s or early 70s when the 101s were a current engine then the chassis is likely to be of strong interest to the vintage kart crowd as would be the clutches, exhausts etc.
A rough guess on the range of value without seeing it would be $2,500 to $5,000. It all depends on what it is and what kind of condition it is in.
Get pictures and post them over on the REAR or VKA vintage kart sites and you'll get lots of help.
If it looks like the one in the attached picture it is worth a lot!
Steve O'Hara

[al nunley]

Steve probably knows as much as anyone about the worth of the vintage stuff.
There are others, and while Steve’s estimate is more than likely accurate, without pictures, who can really know. One thing, check the compression of the engines, determine if the rings and pistons are good.
You need to know what kart it is. If it’s a kart like Steve’s, it would be more valuable than a newer kart, like something from the eighty‘s. And, of course, condition is important. Still, restoring one is maybe part of the fun.
Oh, and depending on you, and your desire to own this kart, I wouldn’t wait for him to bring it over, I would be going to him.
If you need parts for the engines, call Terry Ives, (karting since the early 60’s) he does a lot of work with this vintage stuff. 
_________________
If the data does not support the theory, get a new theory. (Al Nunley)
All else being equal; Compression is the Holy Grail.
45 years, in and around karting