PEDAL CAR MUSEUM DISPLAY
INTRODUCTION: In the early days of production in Britain, pedal cars were expensive and sold by upmarket department stores. As a result they were usually indoor toys. The first models generally had wooden bodies and were hand-built. Some were bespoke, for example built for an individual customer by a company that might otherwise supply car bodies to the motor trade.
The move to metal bodies in the 1920s allowed mass-production and prices came down. Motor cars were still a luxury on British roads in the 1920s, but by the end of the decade economy cars such as the Austin Seven provided a practical budget option.
Pedal cars followed similar trends, with cheaper models retailed from catalogues. Lines Brothers, makers of the Triang range, became the largest producer and distributor. Smaller pedal car builders could not compete with them, so they usually gave their cars to Lines Brothers to be rebadged as a Triang. Lines Bros changed their company name to Triang in the 1930s. So many different models were built and sold that nowadays unless a pedal car has particular distinguishing features it is very hard to tie it down to a particular year or model.
Many pedal cars were styled to resemble automobiles from a previous decade. This is because the manufacturers realised that pedal cars were not bought by the child …but by their father or grandfather. As they resemble a cross-section of historic styles, such as the very first automobiles, 1920s ‘gangster’ cars with running boards, small economy saloons, 1930s racing cars, and more familiar 1950s, 60s and 70s automobiles that we remember seeing on the roads, the interest in vintage pedal cars is multi-generational today too.
- 1930s LINES BROS Wooden pedal car
Lines Brothers was the original name of the company, changed in the 1930s to Triang.
2. 1937 TRIANG Aluminium pedal car
Made for one year only – the government decided that aluminium was too valuable a resource to use for the bicycle and associated trades. Note the registration plate ‘LIB 4242’ – this was the phone number at the Triang works.
3. 1960s Triang Tri Mobile
Metal body, solid rubber tyres
4. 1950s Moskovitch (Hungarian) metal pedal car
There are generally quite a few 1970s/80s Moskovitch pedal cars offered for sale, but it’s not easy to find early models such as this. Pressing the switches on the dashboard flashes the lights on top of the bonnet (the battery has been disconnected).
The switches above flash the lights below…
5. 1920s Wooden pedal car, Unknown maker
This wood-bodied twenties racer was most likely made for a London department store.
6. 1960s YOUNG MASTER Mercedes metal pedal car
7. 1950s TRIANG Lightning metal pedal car
8. 1960s Triang metal pedal car
9. 1950s Giordani ‘Baby’ metal pedal car (Italian)
10. 1950s Triang Sports pedal car. Modelled on a 1930s British sports saloon car.
Metal body, repainted.
