The first bodywork kit was used experimentally in the 1985 season. The Formula K World Championship was also raced using these chassis, the new class with 135 cc engines that were meant to unite European and American karting under a single Regulation.

The first bodywork were handmade fiberglass prototypes. Plastic was later used as a raw material.

The introduction of bodywork increased the space for stickers to be attached to karts, previously only present on the chassis and on the floor trays. In official competitions, the largest space was usually dedicated to the chassis manufacturer, followed by the engine and tyre brand.

Bodywork kits were not regulated by approvals In 1985.

We are at the dawn of kart bodywork kits and they were totally handmade. Studies and tests to improve the impact of air on vehicles arrived much later.

The first kit was made by KG in 1992. The company led by Gianluca Giacoletto previously only manufactured steering wheels, which were used by most manufacturers. The brand quickly established itself as a reference point for fairings, also thanks to the Masters Karting Paris Bercy, an event held in 1993. The event, which saw several F1 drivers competing in the kart races (it was the last race on the track with Senna against Prost) and other motorsports, was an important showcase for the new KG kits, which were mounted on all the karts.

The fairing kits were no longer made of fiberglass, they were instead made of plastic. The new material allows the optimisation of the manufacturing processes.

The introduction of different colours was an important innovation at the time: several maufacturers linked their brand to a colour, making their kart immediately recognizable because of the bodyworks. KG supplied his kit in numerous colours: white, blue, black, red, yellow and silver. A few kits were also in light green.

1992 was the year when the front spoiler became compulsory. However, there was still no approval but only manadatory sizes. Again according to the rules, there was an obligation to insert a reinforcement tube, fastened by two screws, inside the recess in the side fairings. This was a solution designed to increase track safety. The bodywork kit shown in the photo remained the reference point until 1996.

Squared side fairings make it clear that aerodynamic research was still unknown in karting. Furthermore, the regulation did not permit certain sizes to be exceeded.