Back in the good old days, auto dealers were out to impress whole families, not just the member with the credit report. Pedal car replicas were available as promotional items at least in the 1950s, and Autolite, a one-time division of Ford, is said to have built several versions of a mini-Mustang targeted at the kiddie population. This one, from around 1972, is battery-powered and in decent condition, though we’re told it needs some restoration work. Located near Denver, Colorado, it’s available here on craigslist for $1,500. Thanks to Mark_K for turning us on to this early version of a Mustang EV!
Little information can be found about these interesting “kiddie kars”. Supposedly Autolite built a batch of these for delivery to dealers to use to occupy the kids while the parents were working a deal on a new Ford. Presumably, that would be for a shiny new Mustang whose sales had been falling ever since 1966. This one is modeled after the last restyling of the Mustang’s first-generation vehicles or 1971-73. The seller says this one dates to around 1972.
We’re told this little runabout has seating for two little people and is powered by an ordinary 12-volt car battery. There is a foot switch that is used to engage the battery, a drum switch to go into reverse, and a hand brake to stop the little replica. We assume the body is made of fiberglass. The seller does not mention if it’s in operational condition but does say it needs a restoration. Last minute Christmas gift for one in your brood?
The good ol STP sticker had those on everything as a kid ..
Rw, STP is the racers edge, oh crap now i am showing my age.
A fella I knew back in the 80’s told the story that as a kid he got mad about something and took an axe to the 1956 Chevy pedal car he had. Might not have been the best tool to use. This one is worth something, but that color just doesn’t do anything for me. Good luck to the next owner.
Too bad (or maybe not) that only a top view is shown. From what little is shown, (IMO) this looks a crude, “hold my beer” creation! :-)
OOPS! My bad, a side view is shown via the Craigslist ad…still doesn’t change my opinion, though!
Very interesting, The wife and I were hiking the rail trail a few weeks ago and I saw one of these cars being used as an advertising sign at a country auto repair shop. I took a few pictures of it but couldn’t find any info about it on the internet. It was the same look as this car but was a red 1966 mustang. Maybe more people that own these cars will chime in..
Better hurry, posted 19 days ago.
Some kid will love to get his hands on this, Will make him the king of sidewalk cruisers.
This is a very rare Conval Industries [Springfield, MA] 1/3 size 1971 Mustang. While there are a fair number of the 1965 to 67 Mustang 1/3 size cars still around [built by Powercar of Mystic CT], after Conval bought the company and obtained permission from Ford to make the 1971 versions, it seems the company closed soon after, and the Shriners organization ended up with most of the spare bodies, parts and the molds. Thanks to jrcentral.com for some of this information.
I’ve owned many “Pedal car size” vehicles over the years, including a 1920s Packard 6 roadster, a 1959 Studebaker Larkette, and a few of the Thunderbirds & early Mustangs. I still have one VERY rare pedal car: A 1963 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud III, made in England by Tri-Ang, and available only thru the Rolls-Royce dealer network.
Maybe the pedal car came free if you bought a Silver Cloud III. Oh, to be filthy rich…
There was a disabled guy who rode one of these around in Wildwood NJ when we were teenagers. He could ride it on the boardwalk and must have lived there. His was white. I thought it was cool. I haven’t thought about that 25 years. It has been 43 or so years since we saw it.
Not sure I understand what difference his color made.
Weird. Looks like it is made of clay, not helped by the crappy pictures