- "Racing Kart" redirects here. For the overall karts, see Kart.
- “Yoshi's go-kart really goes!”
- —Super Mario Kart US commercial
The Pipe Frame (also formerly known simply as the Go-Kart until Mario Kart 7, also called Racing Kart in Super Smash Bros. Melee) is the original form of the kart that appears in the first three installments of the Mario Kart series and is the predecessor to the Standard Kart. Throughout the games it appears in, the kart has different colors depending on the driver. In its original appearances, the Pipe Frame acts as the one and only vehicle available. The abilities of the kart depend on the driver so the kart itself has no strong or weak points.
After a 10-year absence, the Pipe Frame returns in Mario Kart 7, Mario Kart 8, and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe as an unlockable kart body. It generally gives a boost in acceleration and handling while decreasing weight and traction. The Pipe Frame also appears in Mario Kart Tour as the starting kart and returns once again in Mario Kart World.
The Pipe Frame kart has a passing resemblance to an early '80s World Championship kart raced by Ayrton Senna, an icon in Japan due to his connections with Honda, and to modern micro karts known for their combination of small frames and powerful engines.
History
Mario Kart series
Super Mario Kart
The kart makes its first appearance in Super Mario Kart, designed as simple, small go-karts with different colors (red for Mario, blue for Luigi, pink for Peach, red-orange for Yoshi, green for Bowser, olive for Donkey Kong Jr., yellow for Koopa Troopa, and azure for Toad) and various performance traits for each character, along with an ability to boost by drifting.
Each character's kart has different engines; some use four-stroke and few others use two-stroke.
Mario Kart 64
The go-kart is redesigned in Mario Kart 64, featuring realistic-looking wheels, new colors for every character (red for Mario, green for Luigi, rose for Peach, blue for Toad, light-green for Yoshi, yellow for Donkey Kong, violet for Wario, and red-orange for Bowser) and a cubical engine with dual exhaust pipes. It also has a different handling stat compared to its predecessor.
This time, all karts use two-stroke engines, with the exception of Toad's kart which uses a softer sounding four-stroke engine instead.
Toad and Donkey Kong are the only characters to have their own unique engine sound from any other character.
Mario Kart: Super Circuit
The kart's design and colors for Mario Kart: Super Circuit remain unchanged from Mario Kart 64 aside from its handling, which is reverted to that of Super Mario Kart to fit the game's two-dimensional environment.
Unlike in Mario Kart 64, all the karts now use four-stroke engines.
Mario Kart 7
After being absent in subsequent games after Mario Kart: Super Circuit, the Pipe Frame returns in Mario Kart 7 as an unlockable kart body, using its same design from Mario Kart 64 and Mario Kart: Super Circuit. The character's emblem is shown in the rear, underneath the engine. It is one of the three kart parts to have a different color for each character. The eight characters from Mario Kart 64 and Mario Kart: Super Circuit, alongside Daisy, retain the same color schemes as their Standard Karts in Mario Kart DS. Like in Super Circuit, it has a four-stroke engine with powerful-sounding exhausts. Its engine is similar to the Blue Seven and the Sprinter from Mario Kart Wii, which in turn the lower-pitched version of various karts from Mario Kart DS.
In terms of stats, the Pipe Frame slightly boosts acceleration, off-road, and drift, but slightly hinders top speed and weight, which makes it the polar opposite of the Gold Standard in a way. In terms of its hidden stats, however, it gives a strong boost in sea and air speeds, and a good boost in mini-turbo, while not hindering any other stat.
White Miis are the only color of Mii to receive a unique paint job, as no other character in the game uses a white Pipe Frame.
- Color schemes
| Color
|
Characters
|
|
Color
|
Characters
|
 Red
|

|
 Green
|

|
 Pink
|

|
 Lime green
|

|
 Orange
|

|
 Yellow
|

|
 Blue
|

|
 Neon yellow
|
|
 Yellow-orange
|
|
 Purple
|

|
 Turquoise
|
|
 Blue-gray
|
|
 Black
|

|
 Magenta
|
|
 Brown
|

|
 Cyan
|

|
 White
|
|
Mario Kart 8 / Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
LINE sticker of Luigi in his Pipe Frame
The Pipe Frame reappears in Mario Kart 8 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe again as an unlockable kart body. This time, it now resembles the kart's original design from Super Mario Kart, featuring only one exhaust pipe instead of two as seen in Mario Kart 64, Mario Kart: Super Circuit and Mario Kart 7. Additionally, the character emblem is now located in the front. Unlike its predecessor, it is now has a two-stroke engine and its sound is shared with the Standard Kart, Teddy Buggy, Wild Wiggler, and the Sneeker, only having a softer exhaust noise. The engine sounds like a straight-four turbo rally from a Citroën C4 WRC.
Unlike past installments, the colors of the Pipe Frame are now shared with multiple characters, featuring 23 unique colors used among the 36 (41 in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe) characters (and of those, twelve of the colors are exclusive to one character, counting alternate colors for Yoshi and Shy Guy, but excluding Miis aside from the brown color). The eight characters from Mario Kart 64 and Mario Kart: Super Circuit once again retain the same color as they were in the original games, while Koopa Troopa now retains the yellow color from his Super Mario Kart artwork, while Daisy and Waluigi retain their respective colors from Mario Kart DS. All the Koopalings (except Morton) have unique colored steering wheels for their karts, as opposed to the standard black. Also, all the Koopalings have unique colored engines, as opposed to the standard goldenrod, and their wheel hinges are uniquely colored, instead of the usual gray. The Inkling Girl's orange variation uses the yellow Pipe Frame, though the icon on the kart selection screen shows the orange Pipe Frame instead.
Like the Standard Kart, Standard Bike, and Standard ATV, the Pipe Frame body is occasionally used by all the CPU-controlled characters. Most CPU racers will always pair the Pipe Frame with the Standard tires, but Donkey Kong and Koopa Troopa occasionally also use the Monster tires instead. In Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, only a very few now use this body. CPU Toad is occasionally seen using this body equipped with the Slim tires; Toad, as well as Baby Mario, Baby Luigi, Diddy Kong, and Shy Guy, also equip it with the Parafoil. The 150cc staff ghosts for Donut Plains 3 and Cheese Land use Lakitu and Orange Yoshi on the Pipe Frame with the Monster tires. The 200cc staff ghost for Bone-Dry Dunes in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe uses Dry Bones on the Pipe Frame with the Wood tires.
In Mario Kart 8, the Pipe Frame gives a good boost in handling and a slight one in acceleration, but it hinders traction and slightly hinders weight. In terms of its hidden stats, it offers a good boost in sea and air handling, and slight boosts in sea and air speeds, anti-gravity handling and mini-turbo, while only slightly hindering anti-gravity speed. It shares its stats with the Wild Wiggler, Standard Bike, Flame Rider, Varmint, W 25 Silver Arrow, and City Tripper. Overall, the Pipe Frame has the second highest stat total of any kart body, and the third highest among all vehicles.
In Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, the Pipe Frame's stats have been altered so that it now hinders speed, but gives a higher boost in acceleration and now slightly boosts traction. In terms of its hidden stats, it no longer increases water speed and now hinders air speed and air handling, while hindering anti-gravity speed further, with no compensation. It now only shares its stats with the Varmint and City Tripper.
An early version of the Pipe Frame's body featured the same design it had from Mario Kart 64 and Mario Kart: Super Circuit, with the only exception being that the character's emblem was located at the front, like in the body's final version.
The Mario Kart 8 version of the Pipe Frame was used in a LINE set of stickers based on the game, although lacked the emblem on the front and equipped with the tires from Super Mario Kart. It was also used in a Google Maps Easter egg for Mar10 Day 2018, which ran for a week ending March 17, 2018. The Pipe Frame's appearance in Google Maps later reappears in Mario Kart Tour.
- Color schemes
| Color
|
Characters
|
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Color
|
Characters
|
 Red
|
          
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 Green
|
         
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 Pink
|
             
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 Orange
|
          
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 Sky blue
|
               
|
 Hot pink
|
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 Lime green
|
    
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 Black
|
        
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 Yellow[a]
|
            
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 White
|
     
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 Blue
|
            
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 Silver
|

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 Metallic pink
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 Purple
|
  
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 Indigo
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 Red-orange
|

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 Dark-cyan, with orange accents
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 Yellow, with blue accents
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 Hot pink, with fuchsia and teal accents
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 Navy blue, with blue and green accents
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 Lime green, with violet and purple accents
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 Magenta, with pink and purple accents
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 Dark gray, with green and blue-gray accents
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 Brown
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|
- ^ Inkling Girl's Pipe Frame is displayed as orange in menus.
Mario Kart Tour
The Pipe Frame returns in Mario Kart Tour, retaining its Mario Kart 8 design and serving as the starter kart. It uses the same tires that it used in Google Maps, which are based on its original tires from the first three games.
Much like in previous games, the Pipe Frame's color scheme varies depending on its driver; it is the only kart in Mario Kart Tour with this distinction. Its color schemes are shared with the Super Glider, which also chanages color to match its driver, with one exception: all drivers who use the golden or black Pipe Frame share a black Super Glider. Not every Pipe Frame matches the primary color of its driver, such as who uses the black Pipe Frame, despite being gold. Like the Landship and Koopa Clown, the Koopalings do not retain their unique color schemes from Mario Kart 8 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, instead sharing the same color schemes as other drivers.
It is classified as a Normal kart, and it is automatically unlocked after starting the game. It is also regularly obtainable from pipes, and is included in the Daily Selects set. The Pipe Frame increases the duration of Slipstream boosts and the amount of points earned for performing Slipstreams. It is the only available kart in several bonus challenges.
This game introduces three pixelated counterparts named the 8-Bit Pipe Frame, Yellow 8-Bit Pipe Frame, and Gold 8-Bit Pipe Frame, and another variant that has the gold color scheme but with golden versions of the Pipe Frame’s tires, named the Gold Pipe Frame. Both are classified as High-End karts. A similar vehicle called the Pipe Buggy also appears in the game.
Various official screenshots have non-standard Pipe Frame colors that diverge from the norm:
- Color schemes
| Body color
|
Character(s)
|
|
Body color
|
Character(s)
|
 Red
|
                       
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 Green
|
                    
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 Pink
|
                        
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 Lime green
|
        
|
 Yellow
|
                       
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 Orange
|
           
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 Blue
|
                   
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 Teal
|
     
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 Cyan
|
                  
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 Purple
|
           
|
 Indigo
|
        
|
 Magenta
|
     
|
 Gray
|
      
|
 White
|
                
|
 Black
|
       
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 Brown
|
             
|
 Silver[a]
|
  
|
 Gold[a]
|
           
|
 Pink gold[a]
|
|
- ^ a b c These Pipe Frames' steering wheels, columns, seats, engines and hinges are in the same color as the frame itself.
Mario Kart World
Artwork of
Goomba driving the Pipe Frame
The Pipe Frame returns in Mario Kart World, with its original tires from the first three games just like in Mario Kart Tour, as depicted in the games' artworks and renders. It has a two-stroke engine with a high-pitched sound, reminiscent of Peach and Yoshi's karts in Mario Kart 64.
Some characters have different Pipe Frame colors compared to what they had in previous games. For example, Wario's is yellow instead of the usual purple, while Donkey Kong's is brown rather than yellow. All seven original drivers from Super Mario Kart retain the same colors.
This kart is randomly used by the CPU-controlled Para-Biddybud, Nabbit, Koopa Troopa (Work Crew), Baby Mario (Work Crew), and Baby Luigi (Work Crew).
- Color schemes
| Body color
|
Character(s)
|
|
Body color
|
Character(s)
|
 Red
|
     
|
 Green
|
  
|
 Pink
|
  
|
 Orange
|
    
|
 Lime green
|

|
 Blue
|
   
|
 Yellow
|
     
|
 Purple
|
  
|
 Turquoise
|
  
|
 Cyan
|
  
|
 Gray
|
 
|
 Black
|
   
|
 Brown
|
 
|
Club Nintendo
Mario and
Luigi driving karts in the
Club Nintendo comic "Die Jagd nach dem Nintendo 64: Krawall im All".
In the Club Nintendo comic "Die Jagd nach dem Nintendo 64: Krawall im All", Mario and Luigi are seen driving karts in their mission to find a spaceship shaped like the Nintendo 64. They compete against Wario and Bowser and make another reference to the Mario Kart games by dropping Banana Peels and making them crash. The karts seen in this comic resemble those seen in Mario Kart 64. Unlike their video game equivalents, though, they can also be turned into jet skis by pushing a button on their steering-wheels.
Mario Kirby Meisaku Video
A go-kart makes an appearance resembling the one in Super Mario Kart in the Mario segment of the Mario Kirby Meisaku Video where Mario drives it during his pursuit of the mysterious thief W. Eventually, after being attacked by some monsters, he spins out near a vegetable garden.
Super Mario-kun
Go-karts are seen in the Mario Kart adaptions of Super Mario-kun. The first time they appear, Mario races against other characters including Donkey Kong Jr. and Bowser.
Mario Artist: Paint Studio
Various Mario Kart 64 artwork can be used like a stamp in Mario Artist: Paint Studio. This includes all the characters driving their respective go-karts, and two stand-alone images of Mario's red go-kart itself.
Super Smash Bros. Melee
A go-kart appears in Super Smash Bros. Melee as a trophy under the name "Racing Kart." The trophy can be obtained at random in the Lottery or in the game's single-player modes.
Super Nintendo World
In Mario Kart: Bowser's Challenge at Super Nintendo World, all of the Koopalings use this kart during the ride.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie
The Pipe Frame is one of several karts used by Bowser's army during their ambush on Rainbow Road in The Super Mario Bros. Movie. Mario hijacks one from a Koopa Troopa after the Bullet Bills from the Koopa General's bulldozer-like kart destroy his Standard Kart, though it too is destroyed by the General's vehicle.
Profiles and statistics
Super Smash Bros. Melee
Trophy Racing Kart
|
|
Game/move: Super Mario Kart 9/92
|
| How to unlock: Random
|
| The famous racing karts from the ever-popular Mario Kart racing series come loaded for speed 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.
|
Mario Kart series
Stat values are out of 6.
|
Mario Kart 7
- Speed: -0.25
- Sea Speed: +1
- Air Speed: +0.5
- Acceleration: +0.25
- Weight: -0.25
- Handling: 0
- Sea Handling: 0
- Air Handling: 0
- Off-Road: +0.25
- Mini-Turbo: +0.5
- Stability: 0
- Drift: +0.25
|
Mario Kart 8
- Ground Speed: 0
- Water Speed: +0.25
- Air Speed: +0.25
- Anti-Gravity Speed: -0.25
- Acceleration: +0.25
- Weight: -0.25
- Ground Handling: +0.5
- Water Handling: +0.5
- Air Handling: +0.5
- Anti-Gravity Handling: +0.25
- Traction: -0.5
- Mini-Turbo: +0.25
|
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
- Ground Speed: -0.5
- Water Speed: 0
- Air Speed: -0.5
- Anti-Gravity Speed: -0.5
- Acceleration: +0.5
- Weight: -0.25
- Ground Handling: +0.5
- Water Handling: +0.5
- Air Handling: -0.25
- Anti-Gravity Handling: +0.25
- Traction: +0.25
- Mini-Turbo: +0.5
|
Mario Kart Tour
Statistics
| Special skill
|
Slipstream Plus
|
Favorite courses (Bonus points ×2)
|
|
Favored courses (Bonus points ×1.5)
|
|
|
* indicates a favored course upgraded to a favorite course after reaching level 3. ** indicates a favored course upgraded to a favorite course after reaching level 6. *** indicates a favored course upgraded to a favorite course after reaching level 8.
|
Mario Kart World
Values are taken from the Mario Kart World Perfect Guide by Kadokawa.[1]
- Paved road speed: -3
- Off-road speed: -3
- Water surface speed: -3
- Acceleration: +4
- Mini-Turbo: +4
- Weight: -2
- Paved road handling: +1
- Off-road handling: +1
- Water surface handling: +1
Gallery
- For this subject's image gallery, see Gallery:Pipe Frame.
Mario Kart: Super Circuit
Names in other languages
| Language | Name | Meaning | Note(s) | Ref. |
| Japanese | スケルトン Sukeruton | Skeleton | | [2] |
| Chinese (Simplified) | 管架车 Guǎnjià Chē | Pipe Frame Kart | | [2] |
| Chinese (Traditional) | 管架車 Guǎnjià Chē | | [2] |
| Dutch | Skelter | Go-kart | | [3] |
| French | Rétro | Retro | | [3][4] |
| German | Go-Kart | - | | [2] |
| Italian | Tuboturbo | Pipe Turbo | | [2] |
| Korean | 스켈레톤 Seukelleton | Skeleton | | [2] |
| Polish | Pomykart | Portmanteau between pomykać ("to zip") and "kart" | | [5] |
| Portuguese (Brazil) | Canoturbo | Pipe Turbo | Mario Kart World | [6] |
| Tuboturbo | Mario Kart Tour | [2] |
| Portuguese (Europe) | Canoturbo | Mario Kart World | [6] |
| Tubomóvel | Pipemobile | Mario Kart 7 and Mario Kart 8 | [3] |
| Russian | Труботурбо Truboturbo | Pipe Turbo | | [3] |
| Spanish | Tubiturbo | Turbo Pipe | | [2] |
| Thai | โกคาร์ตโครงเหล็ก Goo Kâat Kroong Lék | Iron-framed Go-kart | | [6] |
References
- ^ Ando, Shinichi, Fuyuki Ogihara, Yuichi Yoshida, Koichi Watanabe (Colorfield), Reito Akashi, Yudai Ino, Tomohisa Kato, Kazuya Teramura, and Noritaka Mitsuda (2026). 『マリオカートワールドパーフェクトガイド』. Tokyo: Kadokawa (Japanese). ISBN 978-4-04-733845-6. Page 40.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Polley001. Mario Kart Tour Text Dump. Google Sheets. Retrieved December 3, 2025.
- ^ a b c d In-game name in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.
- ^ Mario Kart World in-game name from French localization. (Archived 5 Jun. 2025 via YouTube by Siphano.)
- ^ In-game name. Mario Kart World (Ver. 1.5.0). Nintendo. Retrieved January 22, 2026.
- ^ a b c In-game name in Mario Kart World.