CAFÉ RACER 76: Every child dreams of a pedal car at Christmas

As a child, did you dream of finding a miniature, pedal-powered version of your favourite sports car? Now you can fulfil your children’s dreams, with these wonderfully nostalgic pedal cars from the Classic Driver Market…

Precious dreams

Arguably the most impressive miniature car you could give this Christmas (so much so, we’d be sorely tempted to keep it for ourselves) is this Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa, built by Michele Conti in 1985. All the details are just right: the aluminium body over the tubular chassis, the small petrol engine, the functional front and rear lights, the wood-rimmed steering wheel and the two leather sports seats, fit for two young racing dreamers. It will be sold at the RM Sotheby’s ‘Driven by Disruption’ sale on 10 December, estimated at 50,000-70,000 dollars. While that might seem like a lot, in comparison to the tens of millions you’d pay for the real car, it’s peanuts.

Ready for Le Mans

While the Testa Rossa might not be pedal-powered, these examples – to be offered by Bonhams at its December Sale 2015 on 10 December – are, and they’re considerably more affordable to boot. Take the beautiful Jaguar XK120 (£800-1,200), for example, resplendent in British Racing Green and complete with split windscreen. And for those hoping to qualify for the prestigious ‘Little Big Mans’ race at the Le Mans Classic 2016, the wonderful 4½ Litre Bentley (£1,0000-2,000) should be of interest.