Kart

A Kart is a vehicle used in the Mario Kart series, which they can come in various sizes and colors, generally regarding to certain character's color. The first appeareance of the karts were in Super Mario Kart and so, they appeared in every Mario Kart game until Mario Kart Wii so far. The models of the karts also changed considerably lately in each racing game, coming out in a variety of shapes and features. A key on every kart consists on its stats. Besides the appeareance, each kart is identifyied by its stats, basically on their size, weight and speed. As such, this means that a character's kart is not essentially the same as the karts of the others.

The Karts also have presented in other game series and media such as in the Super Smash Bros. series, comics, and toys as well.

Super Mario Kart
For the first mainstream of the Mario Kart series, Karts appeared simple Go-karts with frames of various colors, regarding to the character driving the vehicle. In game, the concept of "kart" was applied for the Extra Lives of a driver in Grand Prix mode. In case the player's characters lost a race from fifth place or lower, or attempting to retry the race, the character would lose one of the karts as a life. Losing all the karts would quit the Grand Prix. However, it was possible to regain one life more in some circustamces.

Mario Kart 64
In Mario Kart 64 the Karts appeared like in Super Mario Kart, having little changes from the 16 bits game. Both characters and Karts were classified by three classes of weights: light, medium and heavy. Lights were Karts that show a high speed but a fairly low endurance. Medium Karts show all-around traits, whereas Heavy Karts had high endurance but poor speed.

Mario Kart: Super Circuit
The Karts shown in Mario Kart Super Circuit appeared exactly like in Mario Kart 64. The Kart's traits was similar to that shown in Mario Kart 64, which the vehicle was classified in accordance to its basic stats: Light for the Kart that shows high speed and low weight, Medium for the kart that shows a balanced ratio in speed and weight, and Heavy for that kart with great weight, and low speed.

Mario Kart: Double Dash!!
In Mario Kart: Double Dash!! the basic models of the karts seen from Super Mario Kart to Mario Kart Super Circuit were taken out. For the Mario Kart for the Nintendo GameCube, the karts appear in new models and styles, most of them reflecting some character's special characteristics, such as Mario's kart, the Red Fire, which it is a red and blue-colored all-terrain vehicle, rendering Mario's letter M emblem on its body and wheels. The design of the karts also were changed regarding the new concept "two racers in one vehicle" within the game. The karts have a seat on the front where a character drives the kart, and a platform in the rear of the vehicle where the second character is able to use an item taken from the Item Boxes. Just as in Mario Kart Super Circuit, in Double Dash!! the karts are split in three weight groups: Light, Medium and Heavy. The use of these karts is determined by the characters' weights, so while one of the two characters has a higher weight, the characters will use a kart within the Medium or Heavy weight class. Pairing both lightweight characters, the vehicle used is a light kart. Every kart has also its own stats. The kart's stats is qualified by the amount of stars on its acceleration, speed and weight. In general, lightweight karts have a high acceleration but a fair low speed and endurance. Mediumweight karts have balanced stats, whereas heavyweight karts show a high top speed and endurance, and low acceleration. The Parade Kart breaks this rule, being usable for any character.

Despite that conventinal-looking Karts didn't appear in Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, the Toad Kart and the Toadette Kart greatly resemble a Standard Kart as seen in Mario Kart DS.

Mario Kart DS
Unlike happened in Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, the basic models of the karts reappear in Mario Kart DS, having the name of Standard Karts. These karts have been redesigned, having white bumpers and a hood of different color palettes that matches the character's custom color. The decal of the character is shown over the hood, although the player can replace it for his or her own in the emblem maker option. However, every character can select at least one of three vehicles (excluding Shy Guy, having only his Standard Kart SG), exclusive for being rather different in design and stats than the character's Standard Kart. While a Standard Kart has plain stats, the other vehicles can have a high speed, acceleration or items ratio, depending on the vehicle what is made for. Every Kart is qualified by six ratings:
 * Acceleration: The time for achieving the top speed. Generally lightweight karts like Yoshi's Standard Kart YS have the highest acceleration rating.
 * Speed: The top speed level when a kart moves fordwards. Most of the karts within the heavyweight class, show the highest speed rating.
 * Weight: The kart's endurance. While a kart has a higher weight, is capable of knocking apart light karts.
 * Drifting: The friction power of the kart when turns by powersliding. A high drifting rate makes the kart to turn tighter.
 * Handling: The control over the vehicle in all type of terrains. The power of the mini-turbo caused by drifting also depends how high the kart's handling is.
 * Items: The variety of items to obtain in an Item Box. As the kart's item stat is high, the character can receive more rare items to use.

Mario Kart Wii
The Karts in Mario Kart Wii were once again redesigned, with various details added than they appeared formerly. Similar to Mario Kart DS, the typical go-karts receive the name of Standard Karts, and classified regarding to the size of the vehicle, available in three groups: Standard Kart S for small-sized characters; Standard Kart M for medium size characters and Standard Kart L for large characters. Albeit weight classes were replaced for size classes, the general aspects of the karts are the same as appeared throughout the series.


 * Acceleration: The time to achieve the top speed.
 * Speed: The level of the top speed.
 * Weight: The strenght of the vehicle to knock apart others.
 * Handling: The control of the vehicle.
 * Drifting: The friction power of the vehicle.
 * Off-road: The speed of the vehicle over rough terrain.
 * Mini-turbo: The power of the momentary speed burst after drifting or made a trick.

In addition, each racer can vary the kart's custom stats with the bonus points they have for each feature and select other five karts in the determined character's size.

Unlike their two-wheeled counterparts Bikes, Karts don't have a high speed burst power after doing a Trick and cannot perform wheelies. However, they can release a more powerful mini-turbo by powersliding than a bike, depending how long the respective button is pressed.

Mario Kart Arcade GP series
In Mario Kart Arcade GP all the characters use a standarized model of the kart, appearing with rounded details, and a solid building as opposed to many other previous Mario Kart games.

However, in Mario Kart Arcade GP 2 the characters could have an option to choose a secondary kart made for them, rather similar to Mario Kart Double Dash!! and Mario Kart DS.

Just as Mario Kart Double Dash!!, all the karts are rated out by the amount of the stars for each stat. Regarding to the character selected, he or she can be light, medium or heavy, emphazising one of the stats for the vehicle available.

Club Nintendo
In the Club Nintendo comic "Die Jagd nach dem Nintendo 64: Krawall im All," Mario and Luigi were seen driving karts in their mission to find a spaceship shaped like the Nintendo 64. They competed against Wario and Bowser, and made another reference to the Mario Kart games by dropping Banana Peels and making them crash. Unlike their video game equivalents, the karts in the comic could also be turned into jet skis by pushing a button on their steering-wheels.

Super Smash Bros. Melee Trophy
''The famous racing karts from the ever-popular Mario Kart racing series come loaded for spee with three different engine sizes: 50, 100, and 150 cc. The karts' handling differs with the characters driving them, but all of them utilize Mario Kart standards like drift, jump, and turbo. They're extremely durable and impossible to total.''

Super Smash Bros. Brawl
The Karts make a brief appearance in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Unlike in Melee, where they appeared as trophies, they are obstacles for the Mario Circuit battle stage. All the karts are as seen in Mario Kart DS, driven by red Shy Guys competing a race, while characters carry out their battle there. The karts tend to pass in the road where contestants fight, dealing damage to anybody who makes contact with them. Characters can use their moves against karts to send them flying away. Unlike they looked in Mario Kart DS, Karts come in various colors and their bumpers are colored as well.

Trivia

 * The Kart appears in Nintendo Monopoly, where it replaces Reading Railroad as a purchasable station. It costs $200.
 * In Mario Kart Super Circuit and Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, the player could press the item button (if he or she had no item) to sound the horn.