AND IF YOU FANCY SOMETHING OTHER THAN A J40...
The J40 is the pedal car that most of us know. But to a certain extent, they’re like the MGBs or Morris Minors of the classic pedal car world – readily available, well-documented, parts are plentiful and there’s lots of expert support. But how about more obscure variants?
Collector Marc Hughes specialises in rarer pedal machines – in fact, among the 70 he has, there’s not one single J40. Amazingly, he only started about three years ago, being primarily interested in TV and film scale model cars previously. ‘I was at a car boot sale when I saw a John Deere pedal tractor. People were going up to it and walking away. I didn’t understand why; if it’s a boot sale, it must be cheap. He wanted £120 for it, I offered him £80, and that’s what started it all off. When I got back home, I looked it up and they were really rare.’
What interests Marc is trying to find especially rare items – hence why there are no J40s. The task is made harder by how few have survived; after all, they were playthings used and abused by small children who generally lost interest in them once they got too big. The change from metal to plastic bodies during the Seventies also increased the attrition rate; steel may rust, but plastic is a lot flimsier and seen as much more disposable.
A significant proportion of Marc’s collection is Triang, once the dominant force in the British market. Owned by Lines Brothers Ltd. – the three Lines forming a triangle, hence the name – this mass producer encompassed both the metal- and plastic-bodied eras. Among Marc’s examples are a steel Centurion – of the same type as given to the five-year-old Prince Charles in 1953 – and a plastic beach buggy/jeep, which is still with its original box. ‘It’s complete with a gun and a helmet, so when the kid opened the box, they had all their army stuff there. This one, though, has never been played with.’ In a fascinating mirror of real car production, some Triang pedal cars were made in Australia, albeit sent out there as boxes of bits to get around import duty. It was effectively the same completely knocked-down process that full-size vehicle manufacturers used.
Marc’s accumulation also includes some Morellet Guérineau creations from France, including ones based on actual cars, such as the Citroën DS and Renault Dauphine. ‘The French made quality cars and were still producing them in metal when Triang had moved over to plastic. And that’s one of the reasons they went bust.’ Marc believes that France is one of the best places to go for anyone looking for pedal cars these days. His own travels have taken him to Vienna and Romania, as well as all over the UK, in pursuit of desirable models.
One of Marc’s rarest cars is a Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, made by the Italian firm, Pines, for the USA. Even the fold-out wings still work on it. It’s believed that only six now survive worldwide. Another Pines product Marc has is a rather patinated Batmobile. ‘I’m in two minds about whether to clean it or not,’ he confesses.
Rather more sparkling is his Eureka Bugatti which, dating from 1927 and valued at around £4500, is Marc’s oldest and most valuable item. Not that the financial side is important to him, though. ‘I’m not driven by money at all,’ he says. ‘I’m quite surprised that some of the cars I’ve bought are worth so much. It’s also good to meet fellow collectors.’
So, does Marc have a favourite? What would he pick if he could only keep one? ‘I couldn’t,’ is his honest response. ‘Every single one has a story – how it was found, the reason I bought it, how far I went to get it, the person I bought it off, many of whom have become friends, and their stories about it. They’re all individual, they’ve all got a tale to tell. It would be like having to pick between your own children.’