The Austin J40 pedal car was originally made in England by the Austin Motor Company Limited, based on the 1948 A40 Devon and Dorset.
Cars made by disabled miners
Each car was manufactured in Bargoed, South Wales at a specially constructed factory, opened in 1949 under the name of the Austin Junior Car Factory. The business operated on a not-for-profit basis, existing purely to provide continuous employment for disabled coal miners suffering with lung disease from a lifetime working in the mines.
Pedal cars were made from scrap metal taken from the Longbridge Austin factory, 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. In addition, each car had an opening bonnet and boot, chrome bumpers, hub caps, grille and boot handle.
An expensive and luxurious toy
A total of 32,098 Austin J40 pedal cars were made before production ceased in September 1971 with cars being shipped all around the world. Many featured in films for road safety or were used as fairground rides, but most were sold to families to be enjoyed by children, despite the purchase price equating to 4 weeks of the average salary at the time. The Austin J40 was an expensive and luxurious toy.
Its place as a luxury item was heightened when Selfridges offered the J40 for sale from its famous central London store, standing out as the most spectacular of the other grand toys available for sale. Around the same time, the little Austin featured on a number of TV shows and even Prince Charles (now King Charles) is said to have enjoyed owning one as a child.
J40 production stopped in 1971
When production stopped in 1971, the Austin pedal car series came to an end. Changing fashions saw children move onto other toys and games they deemed to be more modern and cooler. This culture change led to many J40 pedal cars being discarded, reducing numbers dramatically, as families scrapped their once-treasured pedal cars.
As with many things lost to changing trends, little did the owners know the J40 would later become highly sought after with a resurgence that had many regretting their decision to abandon the family Austin pedal car.
The Austin J40 is now regarded as a true classic
Much in the same way a real car often becomes an expensive and desirable classic, the Austin J40 is arguably held in higher regard today than ever before. The renowned Goodwood Revival event hosts the Settrington Cup, a race dedicated to junior drivers in their Austin pedal cars held on the famous Goodwood Motor Circuit in front of tens of thousands of spectators. Many racing drivers and celebrities have a J40 in the family and every year examples sell for record values at auctions around the world, such is their demand, with buyers tempted by their blend of coolness and retro-chic.
Today the Austin J40 is bought by those seeking a beautifully made, classically styled child’s pedal car, that is as much of an investment in the wellbeing of the child as it is an appreciating asset. Cars are often restored to the owners taste, with a variety of colours and trims now seen, or kept in original, patinated condition to show the cars history and heritage. Whatever the owners taste, an Austin J40 will provide fun and adventure within families for many generations to come.
The Austin J40 makes a comeback
In 2022 Austin Pedal Cars launched a brand-new Austin J40, bringing classic style right up to date with a modern pedal system and hand built quality.
The Austin Pedal Cars J40 Continuation Car takes the revered J40 to a new level of quality, luxury, and style. Designed specifically for the 21st century, the finest materials are hand formed to create a familiar, sweeping body and a modern take interior available in leather or faux leather. The pedal system has been designed to be stronger and more durable, whilst being much lighter in weight for ease of manoeuvring and pedalling.
The future of the Austin J40
Today, Austin Pedal Cars is the world's only dedicated Austin J40 pedal car sales, service, & restoration specialist, remanufacturing every J40 part, undertaking concours-level restorations, selling the finest classic J40 pedal cars and manufacturing the J40 Continuation.
With restoration workshops in Salisbury, and a unique J40 showroom situated at the heart of renowned classic car centre of excellence Bicester Heritage, Austin Pedal Cars serves every aspect of the global J40 community, ensuring a bright future for the Austin J40 and allowing future generations to experience the joy owning a pedal car brings.
Want to know more?
Written in partnership with Austin J40 expert David Whyley, Austin Pedal Cars has launched the definitive history book on the Austin J40 pedal car. This comprehensive history book uncovers new information, stories, and images to tell the full story of this important Austin car.
The lavishly produced book, features painstaking research and numerous previously unpublished archive photographs and documents, provides the definitive story of Austin’s diminutive Pathfinder, based on the 1930s Austin racers, and its successor the J40.
Buy the book, here: https://www.austinpedalcars.com/the-austin-pedal-car-story
