Original Vintage Austin J40 "Joy IV" Roadster Blue Over White Pedal Car #17337

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About the Item

Not your average pedal car, Austin J40's were produced by the Austin Motor Car Company in South Wales. They actually produced about 32,000 of them between 1949-1971. There are many car clubs, collector's and fans of these famous pedal cars, some of which have even been sold by Christies. This particular J40 has belonged to our stores owner, a dedicated automobile enthusiast, collector and well known veteran in many automobile related circles for many years. Now in his 60's, he has decided to part with much of his beloved collection. We will be posting much more automobilia in the near future. The serial # is a bit hard to decipher we are not sure if its 17337 or 19337. Bargoed in South Wales, in the late 1940s was an area dependant on mining, and the loss of a job meant almost invariably joining the dole queue. With this sad fact in mind, Sir Leonard Lord, Chairman of the Austin Motor Company, conceived the idea, in 1946, of creating a factory which would employ men disabled by pneumoconiosis, and so forced to leave the mines. Doing light assembly work they would produce toy motor cars. It was in 1943 that Parliament passed an act that recognised that many miners were being struck down with what the miners called "The Dust" (pneumoconiosis). The Government decided to encourage employers to give ex-miners employment. Leonard Lord had taken this to heart and decided that those (in this case South Wales miners) who had been cut down by this respiratory condition could still earn a wage. It was stated that in 1945 there were over 5,000 miners suffering from this disease. The plan was that they would build a toy pedal car based on the current models. To keep the cost down, it would use metal off-cuts. It was Leonard Lord, Chairman of the Austin Motor Co who in April 1946 summoned Rod Phillips who was an artist attached with the Post War Planning whose brief was to look into the future of how the factory would look in the Post War period. He was joined by Jim Blake who had joined him after serving in the war, (it was a government directive that for person who was employed before the war, his employer would have to offer them their old job back on returning to civilian life. Both Rod and Jim had no experience of body design and the tooling needed. This is where a third member Alf Ash joined the team who in fact had the expertise. The team were given a disused workshop in South Works in which to set up a design office and experimental build. So it was down to looking at the specification. a) Suitable for children in the age range four to nine. b) Must be able to have room in the front for a smaller brother or sister. c) Bonnet and boot to open. d) Lights that work along with a dummy engine So starting from the bottom, the first thing was to look at what were the smallest tires available. This turned out to be Dunlop 12 inch cord tires which were fitted on 8 inch wheels. The body had to mirror the range of full size models with the alligator bonnets, chrome grilles along with the characteristic headlamps. Producing a full size car is easy as all the tools and processes are in place. The main problem, how do you produce a car for children, so it was necessary to take measurements of a child. Alf Ash was the only one of the team of three who had children, so his eight year old child Marcia was measured that very night. From these measurements next day a full size 2D template was made. Now the engineering drawing could be worked on. Leonard Lord who started the ball rolling made frequent visits to the workshop to see how things were progressing. He often made suggestions which were not always taken. The launch date which had been planned for the Austin Progress Convention in June was getting closer, so it was decided that more staff was needed. The hole was plugged when two sheet-metal workers joined the team. The next thing was to design the facia, which had two dials, one the speedometer and the other split into three, Fuel, Oil pressure and Ammeter. The idea was realised in 1949, and the official opening of the Austin Junior Car Factory was July 5th, that same year. There were 55 men employeed and the factory was paid for by Government funds; run on a not-for-profit basis and purely for the employment of the disabled coal miners. The factory consisted of a bit more than 24,500 square feet. The workforce gradually increased until it reached just over 500 men in 1965. Production of this last prototype, to be called the J40 roadster, was ready to go ahead, so after a year, the Pathfinder ceased, no record remains of the number of Pathfinders made. The J40 production was in the later years rather seasonal in its demands, peak being the weeks before Christmas. The method was similar to that of a full size car. Individual body panels were pressed out and then welded together to form the body shell. The metal used was thought to be off-cuts from Austins built at Longbridge which made them very solid, this in turn was degreased ready for painting. The paint colors used, although all thought to be original Austin colors were constantly changing. The painted shell then passed along an assembly line to be fitted with its pedals, running and steering gear, wheels and tires, spark plugs, working hand brake, upholstered seats, bumpers and license plates, grille, badge and other chrome fittings, and of course its working headlights and horn. Production ceased in 1971, with a total of 32,098 cars having been built.

Dimensions:
Height: 22 in (55.88 cm)Width: 63 in (160.02 cm)Depth: 27.5 in (69.85 cm)
Materials and Techniques:
Steel
Place of Origin:
United Kingdom
Period:
1960-1969
Date of Manufacture:
1960's
Condition:
Wear consistent with age and use. Please pay close attention to all photos.
Seller Location:
Chicago, IL
Reference Number:
Seller: crhb181stDibs: LU8243794172

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