Gallery: This Go-Kart Modeled After a 1923 Racecar Revs Our Engines

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    Max Moseley
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    Industrial designer Douglas Varey started building go-karts seven years ago, as an "antidote to the corporate lighting world."
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    Max Moseley
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    His latest is an ultra-light model called the "Austin Boulogne".
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    The go-kart is named for and modeled after after a fleet of cars British maker Austin sent to Boulogne, France for the 1923 Grand Prix.
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    It's built out of thin but strong plywood and a featherweight fabric called Xorel.
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    The go-kart is also electric. It has an 48-volt, 5-kilowatt electric motor that’ll take it up to 48 mph.
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    Max Moseley
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    Varey's teenage daughter pushed the designer to give the racer a more sustainable motor.
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    Max Moseley
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    The kart hasn't won any races yet, but it should have a pretty good chance at an all-electric race in Washington State this summer.
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