The children’s Austin J40 pedal car, above, was estimated at £1800-2400 and sold for £2800.
Fondly known as the ‘Joy Car’ or ‘Junior Austin’, the J40 was manufactured from 1955-71 by disabled miners, initially at a factory in the village of Tiryberth, near Bargoed in south Wales. In 1955 production switched to Austin’s Longbridge plant until closure in 1971.
Built at the instigation of Lord Nuffield, owner of BMC, soon after the Second World War, they were sold in Austin showrooms for £20, which was a considerable price at the time.
This H&H Classics example, offered in a sale which ended on December 6, is finished in red with tan upholstery and is the subject of an older restoration.
An example sold for £1250 at British Toy Auctions in Runcorn on October 12 was one of the first of the 1500 made at the state-supported factory.
