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Adorable Pedal Cars


"QUANTUM SHOT" #896
Link - article by Simon Rose and Avi Abrams




Pedal Vehicles Showcase - Big Ideas in a Small World

I guess the human fascination with cars, boats and planes could easily originate in our childhood and looking at some of these pedal vehicles, it’s hardly surprising. Some of these pedal cars are originals that have been restored, while others are modern reproductions, but they’re still pretty cool. So sit back, make yourself comfortable and enjoy the ride.


(1956 Pontiac Club de Mer pedal car, sold at Barrett-Jackson for $33,925.00, part of the The Pratte Collection)


Pedal cars have been around almost as long as the automobile itself. In the United States, they were at their peak of popularity in the 1920s and 1930s, with kid’s pedal cars having many of the features, in terms of bodywork anyway, as the vehicles driven by their parents.

On the left image below is a 1934 Lincoln pedal car, while the Roadster on the right dates from 1941:


(images credit: California Auctioneers, MidAmerica Auctions)


These are modern reproductions of pedal cars from the same era, which are available in different colours for the discerning young driver:


(image credit: Best Pedal Cars)


These two pedal vehicles based on classic automobiles were apparently custom-made for a vintage car event in Pennsylvania a few years ago:


(images via)


This one (left) is modeled on a Formula One racecar from the 1950s. The car on the right may be labeled as speedway pace, although I doubt if it’s capable of those kinds of a speeds. It probably wouldn’t be that safe to drive on the speedway track either:


(images credit: Liveauctioneers.com, The Antique Toy)


Fifties style Ferrari F2 Grand Prix racecars were the inspiration for the pedal cars shown above. The left picture is an original, while the right car is a modern reproduction. Still, the driver in his shades looks pretty pleased with his gleaming chrome ride, doesn’t he? -


(images via 1, 2)


This one on the left is based on the micro cars that were popular for a brief time in the 1950s and there’s even a full size Velam for a size comparison. Surprisingly perhaps, the Velam was capable of speeds in excess of 50 mph (80 km/h). In 1957, the street legal version of the Velam appeared in the movie Funny Face, which starred Audrey Hepburn and Fred Astaire. The pedal car on the right is a restored model from 1964:


(images credit: Jon Santarelli, Bruce Weiner Microcar Museum), 2


This one on the left has an interesting design, although it’s probably not originally from the golden age of jazz. And how about this hot rod pedal car on the right? Let’s just hope the driver doesn’t have a temper tantrum while in the driving seat:


(images via 1, 2)


This is an unusual model on the left, based on the VW van that first appeared in the 1950s. Looking a little like a miniature VW Beetle, this pedal car (right), likely dating back to the seventies or early eighties, is called a Junior Sportster:


(images credit: Kevin, Vintage Children's Pedal Car)


A very nice convertible model (left) from the seventies, in a colour guaranteed to get you noticed among your fellow pedal car drivers. Also from the 1970’s, the Elf Mobile on the right is thought to have been used for advertising displays in the grocery stores of that era:


(images via 1, 2)


Here’s an Oscar Meyer Weinermobile pedal car, that’s not so much of a hot rod, more of a hot dog. This Coca Cola pedal car (right) serves a reminder of a time when the famous soft drink only cost five cents, which seems like a long time ago now:


(images via 1, 2)


These two are both hot items, with those flames decorating the hood. Or maybe the engine was in danger of catching fire, if the car was going so fast? -


(images via 1, 2)


Of course, if your engine did go up in flames, I guess you could always call on the fire department. Although perhaps in need of some restoration, this pedal car (left) would have been quite an expensive item back in the 1930s. Back then it was equipped with battery powered working headlights, as well as removable ladders, a movable gear shifter and the traditional fireman’s bell. The junior fire chief operating this one on the right could perhaps have used his ladders to deal with household hazards? -


(images credit: 1stdibs.com, Stagecoach Toys)


This one from 1963 (right) is more of a sleek design. It even has a red light for clearing a path during emergencies, although I’m not sure if it was operational. This truck on the right is more modern, but still resembles earlier models:


(image via 1, 2)


All pedal vehicles aren’t based on cars or trucks, of course. Planes, trains, automobiles and even tractors have all been used as models for pedal toys over the years.

This Wooden Gendron Scout Pedal Plane from 1928 (left) certainly looks like it might have been a little chilly for the pilot, if it had ever actually taken to the air. Another red one on the right, this time based on the plane flown by the Red Baron himself, Manfred von Richthofen, the renowned German flying ace of World War I:


(images via 1, 2)


The Steelcraft U.S. Army Patrol Plane from 1941 (left) was the inspiration for this more modern chrome pedal aircraft. Almost makes you want a full size working version, doesn’t it? This plane on the right has Army written beside the logo on its wings, so may have originated in the period before the U.S. Air Force was created in 1947:


(images via 1, 2)


This restored Jolly Roger Pedal Boat (left) is from the 1950s, while the model on the right was manufactured between 1966 and 1968. Both vessels have battery-operated outboard motors, although I don’t think I’d recommend taking either one of them in the water:


(images via 1, 2)


Here’s a vintage Murray Diesel 2 Ton Pedal Tractor (left), which perhaps couldn’t exactly be relied upon to pull anything quite that heavy. These days, there are certainly Thomas the Tank Engine pedal cars, among other train designs, to choose from, but models based on trains have been around for a while. This wooden one, complete with a bell for warning anyone in your path, dates from the early 1940s:


(images via 1, 2)


Moskvitch-type pedal cars were very popular in the 1960s Soviet Russia, bringing tons of happiness to the kids of that generation:



(images via)

Article by Simon Rose and Avi Abrams, Dark Roasted Blend.


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YOUR COMMENTS::

6 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

"Jazz" is based on the Transformer of the same name.

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Blogger Willow Can said...

Back when kids used kid power and not battery power....the beginning of the fall that eventually leads to childhood obesity

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Blogger Unknown said...

You left out the pedal car for adults. The Sinclair C5 Although technically it is a battery assisted pedal car..

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Anonymous Macan Band said...

Back when kids used kid power and not battery power....the beginning of the fall that eventually leads to childhood obesity

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Blogger dGarry39 said...

Those are totally cool pedal cars back then. My eldest kiddo might love to have one when he saw these photos. We just got a new rack and access tonneau cover on the truck and there is a space for a good toy for the kids to play when we go camping. All I can see in the malls were battery operated.

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Anonymous Masih & Arash Ap said...

Back when kids used kid power and not battery power....the beginning of the fall that eventually leads to childhood obesity

___  

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