In the 1940s, England’s coal miners were suffering from lung diseases that at best left them disabled. The government appealed to companies for ideas to retrain and employ these miners, and Leonard Lord of Austin Motors responded by proposing that scrap materials from the Austin factory be used to build a sophisticated child’s pedal car. After several designs were created – which actually culminated in two cars in addition to the J40 – the government funded a brand new factory in Bargoed, Wales for production. Some 32,000 pedal cars found their way to new homes from 1949 through 1971 when the factory was closed. Here on eBay is one of these popular Junior 40s, bid to $510, in “project” condition. The seller has used this pedal car as garage art for many years; he indicates that when he purchased it he was told it was very rare since it was not configured as a pedal car but was instead propelled by a motor installed in the trunk. The seller does not have that motor, and other parts are similarly missing. The hubcaps are only hung loosely on their wheel mounts in this photo.
The J40 was conceived to appeal to children ages four through nine. It had enough room to accommodate a sibling. Its bonnet and boot both opened, giving that real-life experience (maybe of a breakdown in the case of the bonnet, ha!). Its lights and horn worked and it had a faux engine and gauges. The design began with the tires – the team looked for the smallest available tires which happened to be Dunlop white walls in a 12″ size. These tiny tires fit on 8″ wheels, and the car was built up from there around the dimensions of a worker’s eight-year-old child. The plugs came from Champion and the shape of the motor mimicked Austin’s A-series in-line four-cylinder. From the factory, an “Austin” bonnet ornament was affixed – an item that’s missing from this one. Made of steel, the J40 weighs about 100 lbs.
The gauges have gone AWOL and the seller says the seat is only sitting loosely in its appointed space. There’s no sign of pedals. I couldn’t find any indication at all that even a prototype was made with a real motor. It seems likely that someone modified this J40 at some point, but it will take a J40 expert to know for sure!
The paint is blistered, scratched, and cracked in places. The rear bumper is as wavy as a flag, and in the front, the grille and both lights need help. Nice J40s can trade hands for mid-four figures, but this one is likely to sell for much less with its “questionable provenance”. If you commit, consider joining this facebook group, and perhaps this club as well.
Being a guy are we allowed to say cute?
i think adorable might be better howie. lol
i could see a ton of fun doing this back up for the little motorhead in the family
Before I read everything on it, thought it would be a blast hanging something like a 10 HP Tecumseh in it, then I saw it had started like with a motor. I have a grandson that would really get off on that if it was motorized again.
Michelle, love your articles. You need to come to Goodwood Revival in the good old UK countryside – where you will also see this https://www.goodwood.com/grr/event-coverage/goodwood-revival/2021/9/video-the-settrington-cup-is-the-cutest-race-in-the-world/
Enjoy
Thank you! I have been to Beaulieu and Goodwood many times, always fun. Hoping to go next year!
That you indeed for the link! Great fun. Hooray for the parents and all the work they did to make this happen.The flagman had to work overtime waving his checkered flag! Everyone finished! In America they would make those kids wear helmets and a 5 point harness. Hopefully they wouldn’t need a roll cage and a fire bottle.
I had a really rotty one that I gave to a racing pal; he restored it to being a lovely thing.
All supplied new with pedals, as far as I know. There have been races for them at Goodwood, I think.
Pee-wee must have had at least one of these.
Used to have one of these cars, lovely little thing and I cried when my dad sold it years ago!
A pedal car takes you to work in style while saving the planet.
https://www.j40motorco.com/#/
Parts now available from this company.
Martin,
As you point out, spares have been easy to find for quite a long time. Each year when I would visit the Beaulieu Autojumble there would be several stalls selling J40 spare parts, and there always seemed to be several J40 cars as well, from rough body shells to complete J40s.
Here in the USA, when I restored a J40 for a client in the late 1980s, I bought most of the parts I needed at Beaulieu and brought them back on the airplane*. The shipping cost savings, as well as being able to negotiate prices, almost paid my airfare costs!
*I would fly Icelandic Air. Their luggage policy was “If you can get it to the airport counter by yourself, they would take it all as part of your luggage”. One time I brought home a Tri-Ang Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud pedal car as oversize luggage, no problem! I learned that Icelandic Air makes a stop-over in Iceland for a couple of hours, and because of this, they didn’t carry full loads of freight, hence the ability to bring large amounts of luggage. I even brought back car bumpers using packaging for pairs of skis.
My mother lived in a cottage on Georgain Bay late 60’s and we found one of these in the shed left by a previous owner. Real pneumatic tires, real (not functional) spark plugs and the headlights had worked at one time. Wish I could say we treated it well but it ended up being driven off the dock into the water many times.
I believe these are still being made in the UK, along with XKE Jags and several other models I remember them being around $10,000
FWIU the originals were new weren’t anywhere near that expensive but weren’t cheap either and most kids who got to use one would’ve been as part of a childrens’ road-safety training setup or even a shared piece of playground equipment. So, on top of all else, an early introduction to the UK’s company-car culture.
I don’t know if it was during the Goodwood but little tykes would race these jewels on a track there was maybe 50-60 in a race the children were quite done up as the British do , with shirts n ties formal coats hats and gloves and they would pedal these cars like crazy , girls participated as well just a neat event of the yesteryear