If you follow the collector car or antique hobbies, you probably know that pedal cars are hot collectibles and command large prices in any condition. Most of them were production pieces stamped out of sheet metal and were made for children beginning in the late 1800s. In fact, there are still companies that make new pedal cars to this day. This car is said to be from the 1930s and was apparently a hand-built one-off pedal car. It looks like a miniature race car and features details that weren’t found on most production pedal cars. It can be found here on eBay with an asking price of $3,750. Located in Robertsdale, Alabama, the ad says the car has served as a centerpiece for a store and is now looking for a new owner. Check it out and let us know if you think it is worth the asking price.
Here you can see the pedal and chain assembly. It’s clear there is some rust underneath, but it doesn’t look too far gone. The ad states that at some point someone added a battery tray and lights. Normally modifications to a pedal car would hurt the value, but with this car being a one-off, it probably doesn’t make a difference. In fact, it probably looks awesome with the lights on!
The car has a really cool look including a hand-formed grille and boat-tail rear end. The side exhaust is a nice detail as are the body louvers, graphics, and trim. So, what do you think about this car? Is it worth the near $4,000 asking price? If you want to learn more about pedal cars and their history, check out the article here from collectorsweekly.com.
A top end pedal car could have had lights from the factory. As far as whether it is worth the price- well, I spent many years in the antiques business, and have seen every episode of Pickers and Pawn Stars, but have never seen this one. So there you go.
From the E-Bay ad: “built well, with lovers down the side”. Yep, nothing better than a lover on the side…. But seriously, this thing has lots of period character. I like it.