Pedal Car "Rusty Gold?" or just "Rusty Old"?

[billjustbill]

As a child of 3 or 4 years old, growing up on a dry-land farm in the 1950's, my parents borrowed an old Murray Air Plane pedal car for a brother and me to play on. The rubber core tires were gone, the rims were flat, and it wouldn't pedal even if it had a 30mph tailwind... I remember standing on my Dad's dad's old German wood tool box watching Dad use an old draw-knife and carve a 2ft. propeller from a piece of a 2x4 ... I can still smell the old-growth yellow pine as the curls fell on the wooden shed's floor. In a West Texas wind, even though the plane never moved, the wind spun the wooden prop and with a child's imagination, the sky was the limit.... A neighbor brought her son over. He was three or four years older the us, but he wouldn't get in the seat of the "combat scarred" silver and blue trimmed flying fighter.

I can still hear his words: "Heck no I'm not gettin' in there; It'll TAKE OFF!!!"

Before the rains hit, I stopped at a unadvertised garage sale this last weekend. Found these rusty parts to an old Pedal Car. Paid $25

Any ideas as to who made it and, as Rusty as it is, what it's worth?

Thanks,
Bill

 

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[stefen]

You paid very little for a memory thats worth millions.

As to the peddle car, they are valuable even if you have a rusty shell. Tires can be found and replaced. The decals can be reproduced. The paint is no problem.

In fact, if it was my memory, i'd keep the car as-is...

 

[JimDon]

Great story. It brought back memories of my fire engine pedal car. Whatever you do don't take it to American restoration to have it restored. It would be $10,000. Lol

 

[tamrock]

That's too cool! If me, I'd try to assemble and leave it as-is. Maybe from the 1920's ??

 

[FC-Treasure]

I don't know anything about Pedal Cars, but about 15 minutes of using Google and eBay makes me think the pedal car is modeled after the Ford Model A, e.g. a 1920's era car. Here is a different version, but you can get an idea of the general form.

https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/9333067_late-20th-c-1930-ford-model-a-pedal-car

 

[captain flintlock]

I'd definitely pay $25 for that all day!!! They just don't make that kind of stuff anymore. Great find! But even better, great story!! I remember my late 70's Shwinn Scrambler bike like it was yesterday and wish I still had it.

 

[Kevlardini]

It is possible you have an original, and if so, could be valuable so long as it doesn't have rust rot.
Today, companies make pedal cars that look exactly like that, but being reproductions, they aren't rare.
However, back in the 20's and 30's, various companies, such as Garton, Steelcraft, and Murray, made pedal cars that look just like the one you have. One good way to tell if it's original is looking to see if it has screws. If it does, you want flat head screws. Philips head screws would mean it's a later reproduction.