Peugeot 204 pedal car by Devillaine

If you had a pedal car as a child, the chances are that it was made by Tri-ang, the giant toy company that dominated the British market for larger outdoor toys of this kind. It was estimated in 1965 that a third or more of the toys belonging to the average British child were made by Tri-ang.

France was an equally prolific source of pedal cars, and among the numerous longestablished firms were Euréka, Morellet Guérineau (MG), Etablissements Devillaine Frères, and Etablissements Guy. These companies naturally sought inspiration from the cars to be seen on French roads, including some run-of-the-mill saloons such as the Simca 1000 and Renault Dauphine that, by necessity, had to be turned into open convertibles so that the child could climb into them! The Citroën DS proved an irresistible subject and a Citroën pedal car today is as much a cult object as the real thing.

As with so many European toy firms, the French pedal car makers gradually disappeared: Devillaine was absorbed by Etablissements Guy, which in turn was taken over by Tri-ang. That’s why numerous French pedal cars – including the DS – were later sold under the Tri-ang name.

Pedal cars were still being made in the 1970s but moulded plastic bodies gradually replaced metal ones and these are more difficult to restore. Devillaine’s metal Peugeot 204 is based on a real cabriolet and captures the shape quite well. Most surviving examples will have had a hard life and, as a result, many classic car restorers will happily use their skills and facilities to restore a tired old pedal car for display alongside the real thing.