Nintendo Displays Life Sized Mario Kart Cars at LA Auto Show

With Mario Kart 7 coming out next week, Nintendo is trying something new and different to market this new 3DS title. I mean, who would have thought that you would hear Nintendo marketing a cart-racing title at a world renowned auto show like the 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show. Forza or Gran Turismo, I would expect, but a Mario Kart title? Well, Nintendo is at the Auto Show, and they have teamed up with West Coast Customs to create two life sized, working replicas of the BumbleBee kart and the Mario kart.

These two karts are real, working karts, and while they will not have any of the special attacks, or fly in the case of the Mario kart, they do function on the street. The two karts are part of a marketing event at the Los Angeles Auto Show where you can take pictures with the karts and play a little of Mario Kart 7 while waiting. Better still is that the two karts will be part of a giveaway sponsored by Nintendo and GameStop, where two lucky PowerUP Reward card members will win one of these vehicles. All you have to do is buy or make a trade at GameStop and use your PowerUP Rewards card and you are registered. The contest runs through the month of December and the winners will be announced in February 2012. More details can be found at the PowerUP Rewards page.

Check out a short video of the two Karts as well as some photos from the event below. Mario Kart 7 is coming in December 2011 to the Nintendo 3DS exclusively.