This magnificent ride consisted of a real Austin J40 pedal car mounted on a mechanical, coin operated base. The car itself was, of course, made by the Austin Motor Company. The kiddie ride was created and assembled by Robinson Partners.
Robinson Partners released their "Austin Sports Car" ride at the Amusement Trade Exhibition in January 1958. The very earliest models came equipped with their own set of traffic lights, attached to an extension of the base. I have never seen a photograph of this version however, so one would presume this feature was quickly discontinued.
Robinson Partners released their "Austin Sports Car" ride at the Amusement Trade Exhibition in January 1958. The very earliest models came equipped with their own set of traffic lights, attached to an extension of the base. I have never seen a photograph of this version however, so one would presume this feature was quickly discontinued.
Private collection, December 2012. Many thanks to Andy for allowing me to film this ride! This model was in beautiful original condition complete with the old bus bell push button that Robinson Partners used on most of their older rides. Unfortunately, it's very hard to accurately date Robinson Partners' rides due to them making the same models with little to no change in design for years or even decades. I would guess this little car started its life as one of their rental rides as, judging by the stencilled "20p" sign on the side, it has obviously been restored by the company at a later date. They certainly weren't charging 20p for a ride back in the 50s and 60s...especially considering that was pre-decimalisation!
A later version saw the Austin Sports Car painted as a Panda Car. Robinson Partners' "Police Car" ride apparently made its debut at the Amusement Trades Exhibition in January 1971, just a few short months before the Austin J40 went out of production. This would lead us to believe that the Police Car had a very short production run. However, as Robinson Partners ran a large rental operation alongside their manufacturing business, I suppose it's possible that at least some of these cars started out their lives as regular coin operated Austin Sports Cars and then were renovated as Panda Cars by Robinson Partners at a later date.
Having said that, a 1981 report in The Coin Slot says that the "Austin Panda Open Police Car" ride was first exhibited fifteen years previously, which would take the release date back to 1966.
Private collection, December 2012. The "20p" sign on the side of this car (stencilled in original Robinson Partners style) would indicate this one at least was a rental ride that had been renovated by the company at a later date. There's no way a kiddie ride would have cost 20p back in 1971 or earlier!)
A later version saw the Austin Sports Car painted as a Panda Car. Robinson Partners' "Police Car" ride apparently made its debut at the Amusement Trades Exhibition in January 1971, just a few short months before the Austin J40 went out of production. This would lead us to believe that the Police Car had a very short production run. However, as Robinson Partners ran a large rental operation alongside their manufacturing business, I suppose it's possible that at least some of these cars started out their lives as regular coin operated Austin Sports Cars and then were renovated as Panda Cars by Robinson Partners at a later date.
Having said that, a 1981 report in The Coin Slot says that the "Austin Panda Open Police Car" ride was first exhibited fifteen years previously, which would take the release date back to 1966.
Private collection, December 2012. The "20p" sign on the side of this car (stencilled in original Robinson Partners style) would indicate this one at least was a rental ride that had been renovated by the company at a later date. There's no way a kiddie ride would have cost 20p back in 1971 or earlier!)
No comments:
Post a Comment