Description
The Austin J40 was an ingenious car. It started with the idea behind it. Former miners who, due to ill health and lung disease, were no longer able to do the hard work underground, were employed at the Austin plant in Bargoed, South Wales. They were retrained and manufactured the Austin J40 with great care from 1950 to 1971. The J40 was primarily intended for the British and American markets, but also established its own export markets in Canada and Denmark. At some point, the Austin J40 could be found in households all over the world. In addition to the social component, the idea was to introduce children to the Austin brand. Ideally, when dad picked up his new Austin, the junior should also get a small new car. However, this sometimes failed due to the price of the Austin J40, which was equivalent to a labourer's weekly wage. On the other hand, it was the Rolls-Royce of pedal cars at the time: 43 kilos of quality. Genuine Dunlop pneumatic tyres, switchable headlights, an electric horn, the Lucas Junior, specially produced for the J40. The boot could be opened, and under the bonnet there was a dummy engine with real spark plugs and wiring. The kids learnt how to change the plugs and wheels with real small wheel nuts at the age of five. It was not unusual for father and son to wash their cars side by side at the weekend. 32, 098 Austin J40s were produced in 21 years until production was discontinued in September 1971. Each car had its own chassis number - just like dad's big Austin. For a hefty fee, a factory record can even be requested with the chassis number via the British Motor Industrie Heritage Trust. A kind of birth certificate showing the specification of the J40, when it was built and where it went. Just as you can request it from the same place for Jaguar, Austin-Healey, MG, etc. At the most famous classic car racing event in the world, the Goodwood Revival, the most expensive racing cars such as Ferrari, Shelby Cobra, Jaguar, Aston Martin, etc. battle it out for victory every year. In the Settrington Cup, children compete for victory in Austin J40s. As with the real racing cars, each participating car is technically inspected and approved before the race. Only Austin J40s are permitted. Since this race began, the prices for the surviving J40s have risen to such an extent that an English manufacturer has secured the rights to the J40 name and offers technically optimised replicas for a whopping £25, 000. A child's dream, then as now. By the way, it's never too late for a happy childhood...
