EVERY KID’S FIRST CAR: Pedal cars of the past can be valuable collectibles
September 7, 2015
Posted by Barrett-Jackson
Pedal cars are a fascinating, popular and often valuable type of automobilia.
This large, museum-quality 1932 Packard is a fully sprung pedal car that underwent a concours-grade restoration with working lights, leather interior and lots of chrome. It is an exquisite example of a pedal car designed for wealthy children of the period.
Prior to the turn of the 19th century, the bicycle was the predominant method of exercise, play and mobility for children. But when the automobile appeared on the scene, those same children became as enchanted as their parents by these powerful and attractive machines.
Toy manufacturers saw the desire of kids to take to the sidewalks like their parents were taking to the streets and began producing small metal automobiles propelled completely by leg-power. Bodies were built of sheet metal onto wooden chassis; wheels were wooden rounds covered with hard rubber tires.
Like the first Model Ts, early pedal cars were simplistic and basic, but as the automobile evolved, so did the pedal car. The wood-frame models of the 1920s gave way to larger, heavier machines in the 1930s and featured elements like chrome hubcaps and distinctive hood ornaments. Often the cars came with elements to enhance the play experience: oil cans, toolboxes, “radiators” that could be fiddled with and the like.
This tasteful 1935 Chrysler Airflow pedal car underwent a thorough restoration and features a stylish grill, working headlights, an immaculate automotive paint finish and numerous other appointments.
Still reeling from the Great Depression, however, only the very wealthy could afford the more elegant pedal cars in the 1930s and early 1940s, which often featuring such luxuries as working turn signals, lights and horns, moveable windshields and ragtops, leather upholstery, whitewall tires and custom paint jobs. Lucky children of well-to-do families could play with cars made to look like specific luxury marques like Packard, Cadillac and Auburn.
Pedal car production stopped in the mid-1940s, when metal production was directed to the war effort. Existing pedal cars morphed into tractors, jeeps and airplanes, allowing children to imitate the actions of their elders. Once the war ended, pedal car popularity resurged with postwar prosperity. Often the first set of wheels for members of the baby boom generation was an all-metal chain-driven pedal car.
Professionally restored to day-one grandeur, this beautiful 1941 Steelcraft “Chrysler” pedal car features lots of chrome and is complemented by an automotive-grade paint finish.
Pedal cars continue to remain big attention-grabbers at every Barrett-Jackson Automobilia auction, which is held right before the collector cars cross the block each day. The diminutive cars, along with neon signs and gas pumps, are often among the top sellers. “Barrett-Jackson primarily offers professional restored pedal cars, which normally sell at auction for between $2,500 and $17,000,” says Barrett-Jackson Automobilia Director Rory Brinkman. “We have sold a couple for $30,000, but that’s the exception rather than the rule.” Just like their full-size brethren, hammer prices are a reflection of rarity, manufacturer and condition, with Packards, Cadillacs and Duesenbergs outperforming Studebakers and DeSotos. Look for some meticulously restored examples of pedal cars – like the Packard, Chrysler Airflow and Steelcraft “Chrysler” shown here – to be in the spotlight at this year’s Las Vegas Automobilia Auction.
Pedal cars, plus hundreds of automobilia items – including neons, gas pumps, dealership signs and more – will be offered at No Reserve on the auction block at the 8th Annual Barrett-Jackson Las Vegas Auction, September 24-26, from 9 – 11 a.m. each day.