1950s Austin J40 Pedal Car

1950s Austin J40 Pedal Car

I acquired this J40 pedal car to accompany the 1951 Austin A40 Tourer that I imported from Australia in 2023. Barry spent the winter restoring it in the workshops. It had been customized with a boxed chassis and wider wheels to accept a small electric motor. We decided not to use the motor, but retained the boxed chassis. Though it has been welded where necessary and resprayed it does not have the pedal fitting or handbrake. So all the hard work has been done and it just requires finishing off. It is perfect for display, which was my primary purpose for buying and restoring it.

 

Austin Chairman Leonard Lord set up the production of the J40 pedal car as a social project for miners who had developed disabilities as a result of working in the mines. The Austin Pedal Car Factory was established in Tir-y-Berth, Bargoed, Wales. Some of the raw material used to make the J40 came from scrap and surplus material from the Austin factory in Longbridge.

It was initially intended to sell the J40 for export, as postwar Britain desperately needed foreign exchange after the War. Austin’s full size cars were one of the most popular cars to be exported so it was a logical public relations exercise. However, after Selfridges Department Store started selling the J40, it became a popular luxury children’s toy in Britain too.

The car was based on the Austin A40 Devon and Dorset. The A40 Tourer version that was manufactured in Australia is the closest in appearance to it. You can compare my 1951 Austin A40 Tourer below, which is my daily car in the summer and the vehicle I display at shows.