Somewhere between a Little Tikes car and a Mercedes-Benz G-Class, there lives a creature known as the Bodo E-Wagon. It’s not quite a car. Not quite a toy. But it does cost the equivalent of ₹20 lakh. Yes, really.
Recently sold at a Mecum auction in the US, the E-Wagon is a fully electric, street-legal golf cart that looks suspiciously like someone shrunk a G-Wagon in the wash. At first glance, it’s all square shoulders and upright glass, just like the real thing. That is, until someone stands next to it and you realise it’s only slightly taller than a large dog.
Now, this isn’t your average “hop between holes” buggy. It’s enclosed, features power windows, power locks, and even has four-wheel disc brakes with brake boost. The seats are leather. Caramel-coloured leather, if that matters. And there’s air-conditioning. For your golf cart.
Rear passengers aren’t neglected either, because there are entertainment screens in the back. Presumably so the kids can watch cartoons while you line up a double bogey.
Underneath all that pretend-road presence is a 10-kWh battery that delivers around 130 km of range. That’s in the ballpark of the original BMW i3. It’s powered by a 20 bhp electric motor pushing about 27 Nm of torque, which allows it to reach a top speed of 56 kmph. That might not sound like much, but it’s technically too fast to be considered legal in some parts of the US for low-speed road use.
It also has headlights, turn indicators, and windscreen wipers. Because obviously, you'd hate to be caught in a downpour while heading to the 9th hole.
This particular example was auctioned off in Glendale, Arizona, but the Bodo E-Wagon isn’t a one-off. Florida-based Gulf Carts stocks these pint-sized pretenders, and if a fake G-Wagen isn’t enough of a statement, you can also opt for replicas of the Range Rover and Porsche Cayenne. Just what the country club parking lot needed.
In the end, this is a golf cart that takes itself only slightly less seriously than the people who’ll buy it. It’s silly, yes. But it’s also quite well made, surprisingly usable, and deeply committed to a lifestyle that says, “I play 18 holes and don’t walk a single one.”
And if nothing else, it proves you can always spend more money to feel superior, even while carrying a sand wedge.
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