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Austin J40 Pedal Car: 75 Years.
Austin
The beloved Austin J40 pedal cars was launched in 1949. Austin Pedal Cars relaunched this brand in 2023, with the J40 Continuation. The factory produced over 32,000 cars in the UK. The J40, originally manufactured in England by Austin Motor Company based on 1948 Austin A40 Devon and Dorset, was relaunched by Austin Pedal Cars with its J40 Continuation model in 2023.
Each car was produced in a specially built factory, which opened its doors in 1949 as the Austin Junior Car Factory. The company operated as a non-profit, and was created solely to employ disabled coal miners looking for a new career after an injury.
Pedal cars were made from scrap metal taken from the Longbridge Austin factory near Birmingham, each built and painted in the same way as the actual cars would have been. Standard features included working headlights and horn, detachable wheels with Dunlop tyres, a realistic facia panel and leather or cloth seating. The cars also featured an opening bonnet/boot, chrome bumpers, grilles, hubcaps, and boot handles.
Before production ended in September 1971, 32,098 Austin J40 pedal cars were produced. These cars were shipped to countries around the globe. Most were featured in road safety films or used as fairground attractions, but many were sold to families for their children to enjoy, despite costing two weeks of average salary. Austin Pedal Cars launched the Austin J40 Continuation and began replicating spare parts for J40 in 2023.
The 75th anniversary of the birth of Jesus Christ is a time to celebrateTh The company lent eight Austin pedal car models to be displayed at the Rotunda in Pall Mall’s Royal Automobile Club, London. One of the cars displayed was a 1949 Austin Pathfinder that had been prepared in anticipation of the opening the Austin pedal car factory at Bargoed South Wales the same year. The Bargoed factory restored this car in 1975, which is a piece motoring history.
At the opposite end of the timeline is the 2024 J40 Continuation Holland & Sherry collaboration. The new J40s, as well their original classic stablemates, retail for thousands.
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