Drive Into the Fascinating World of Collecting Vintage Pedal Cars
If you are looking for a fun toy for your children or grandchildren, then vintage and antique pedal cars may be the perfect solution. There are even adult pedal cars, so you can join in the fun. Old pedal cars may also make a great conversation piece for your outdoor living space or your office.
Who were some makers of vintage pedal cars?While individuals made most antique pedal cars by hand, there were several well-known manufacturers of pedal cars by 1930. Soon, others followed in their footsteps. These manufacturers include:
- American National: This is a Toledo, Ohio, company that had an American Skippy line of vintage pedal cars that they modeled on early vehicles.
- Gendron Iron Wheel Co. This Ohio company, which was a subsidy of American National for a time, produced new pedal cars resembling real vehicles along with fire truck pedal cars and several construction equipment pedal cars.
- Austin Motor Company Ltd: You can find luxurious vintage pedal cars from this English company with working horns and lights from parts scraped by the Longbridge Austin Motor Car Factory. Vintage pedal car collectors often seek their Pathfinder and J40 models based on Austin autos.
- Murray: This Ohio company started business as Murray Ohio Manufacturing Co. before becoming Steelcraft Wheel Goods. After World War II, they became known as Murray.
- Garton Toy Company: This Wisconsin company made Lincoln Zephyr pedal cars, but collectors of vintage pedal cars often seek out their Kidillac and Hot Rod old pedal cars in the 1950s.
You can find many unique styles of vintage pedal cars. Collectors usually look for those resembling automobile models, but you might like:
- Firetrucks: One of the most famous firetruck pedal cars is Murray's Sad Face pedal car that the company made in the 1950s.
- Planes: Many companies made plane pedal cars including Steelcraft that made their Royal Airforce Spitfire model in 1942.
- Semis: Several companies made pedal semis including American National's Big Pete.
Some antique and vintage pedal cars may have their name on the side of them. If the vintage pedal car that you are considering buying on eBay does not, then you can still get some important clues. Cars made before 1945 usually have more details than those produced of a single piece of metal after 1945. If the manufacturer made the old pedal car from plastic, they probably made it after 1970. Remember that most vintage pedal cars were molded after vehicles on the market, so that can be an important clue.