Pimp My Golfcart
Pimp it purple!
It would seem that, just as the American market for “normal” (that is, generally huge) automobiles that are gasoline-driven and made to take out on the road alarmingly shrinks, the demand for golf carts that are a cut above standard-issue is booming, especially in the US but also in Asia and in Europe. That’s the message of this article by Spiegel correspondent Tom Grünweg, who concentrates his attention (although not exclusively) on the Hawaiian-based firm Luxury Carts. (Special bonus: A clickable series of ten pimped-out golf cart photos! Check them out!)
One Michael Hruby (a Czech name, BTW) is chief proprietor at Luxury Carts, and has been running the business now for ten years. Yes, you can get your cut-down Hummer if you like: carts designed to recreate both the H1 and the H2 models are available. But so are the Cadillac Escalade (Hruby’s best-seller), the Mercedes CLK, the Bentley Continental, the Dodge Ram Truck, and all sorts of other models as well. Make no mistake, the treatment Hruby gives them ensures a faithful recreation of the desired original vehicle not only on the outside, but also when it comes to the interior – leather seats, a killer sound system, the works. Of course, you pay for the privilege: The elementary tricked-out model (called “La Benz”) already goes for $16,000, the Bentley Continental will set you back $22,450, and it generally gets more expensive from there. (And then add another $2,000 for delivery, unless you happen to live in Hawaii.)
Still, Hruby sells hundreds of these golf carts per year, and total sales in the US from all makers amounts to some $600 million yearly. Oh, and the laws in most American localities also permit such carts, as “Neighborhood Electric Vehicles,” to be used on the street like any other vehicle – so that the recapturing of one’s former Monster Hummer experience can (almost) be complete.
