Today, I passed what I thought was a rusty, home built, full bodied go kart on the side of the road with a For Sale sign on it. It looked a little like a quarter midget for kids.
I stopped to take a closer look later and was shocked to see that the sign read "$5000 obo".
It had a small plate behind the drive's head that said "Custer Specialty Company". It had a single cylinder engine in the back, driving the rear wheels and a hand operated brake. It had a full perimeter bumper with a longitudinal shock absorber behind it, which made it pretty obvious that it was some sort of amusement park ride. It was really cool and looked like an easy restoration, as it was 100% complete and appeared original. But even at $500, I would have had to think long and hard about it.
I looked up the company on the Googles and didn't come up with much. I was hoping to find some photos or a collector's site. There were two photos of electric models, but neither was like the one that I saw.
I'm going back in the morning with a camera. Has anybody heard about these things?
http://www.daytonhistorybooks.com/page/page/1617669.htm
http://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/2007/12/18/early-alternative-fuel-vehicle/
The one that I saw was much cooler than this:
That jester hood ornament is so cool! I rock that on my ride. 
