Posted 13 years ago
TooManyPro…
(2 items)
I bought this used at a swap meet about thirty years ago. After the kids outgrew it I thought maybe I'd have some fun with it and customize it. I never got to it and came across it in the garage the other day and it got me thinking about a project again. After all, I have a fairly new grand daughter that might have some fun with it. But before I start I want to try to figure out what it is and who made it. It's a steel body three wheel car. The nose piece is a screw on plastic piece that fortunately never got broken. The steering wheel is in good condition and I have all the running gear. Even the tires are still pretty good. Now I need to decide if I'm going to custom paint (probably flames) it and make a new chassis with fatter tires on the rear and one or two smaller wheels up front, or if I'm going to try to restore it to the blue-green factory color and keep the existing running gear with new tires and paint. I've looked all over it and can't find and reference to the manufacturer or what it was called originally and can't find one like it online. Help me figure it out and if it's better to restore it or have some fun with it.
The nose piece looks like 1969 Pontiac GTO or LeMans. Neat project, maybe someone can give you the mfg and time line.
If you know the origonal coloers, I would say restore......if not then do what you want, however it is yours.........................try this site.....>>http://www.tricyclefetish.com/search_results.php?channel=2852393778&cx=009290445584285016050%3A-ac6hdapbyk&cof=FORID%3A10&q=1969++gto+pedal+car&sa=Search&siteurl=www.tricyclefetish.com%252F
I can'ty find anything but maybre you can.........It's a neat thing !
I agree, the nose looks a lot like the Pontiac front ends of the late sixties. But the rear reminds me more of a Thunderbird of around the same time. Whatever it is I like it. I'm also somewhat fascinated by the three wheel running gear. Time will tell if someone can identify it.
Very cool! My son would love it!
Did a quick search and found this one in original condition.
http://www.etsy.com/listing/73193391/rare-vintage-childs-riding-pedal-car
That's awesome. I couldn't find one anywhere. I wonder if they made two versions of it since mine definitely was a tricycle design originally. The yellow one has the same wheels in a four wheel configuration. I wish they would have had a shot of it from below. So now I have a name of sorts to continue my info search with. Thanks again. Mine was originally a blue/green and didn't have the racing stripes or side labels.
Using the name for a search I found another one that is three wheel, the same color mine was and has the same steering wheel.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-restored-70s-pedal-car-PROBE-JR-/160286531269
OK, for anyone that might be interested, it looks like I have a 1969 AMF Probe Jr. pedal car. They seem to have made variations on it in 1970 and 1971 at least but I think the 1969 was the only year they were three wheeled. That seems to be the only year they were the blue/green color also. Their was also a Probe 3 and a Probe XL also and I saw examples of cars that had levers in the sides next to the cockpit instead of a steering wheel. I'm probably still missing a lot of info on this car but I'll keep looking. I think I'm going to restore it rather than customize it also. I want to thank AzTom for the lead on what it is.
There is an auction in OKC coming up with one kind of like yours with INDY painted on the side? Might even have parts for peddle cars there; bunches of stuff toy car and classic car related.
http://www.miearsauction.com/
You are welcome, glad the info helped. Would love to see it finished.
I'll post pictures of it here when I get it done. But it might be a while, I got side tracked on a 1950 45 Harley project so it will have to be worked in to the constantly revised schedule. Thanks again.
Jon
I believe it was based on '70 charger,,I brought this one home 30 years ago for my son the same year I brought home a 68 firebird which I thought the car also resembled,,
http://i434.photobucket.com/albums/qq68/windigo69/IMG_1863.jpg
Mine was original white,,it is an AMF ,,you can just see the front end behind the car
<a href="http://s434.photobucket.com/albums/qq68/windigo69/?action=view&current=Copyoffirebird8.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i434.photobucket.com/albums/qq68/windigo69/Copyoffirebird8.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
well try thishttp://i434.photobucket.com/albums/qq68/windigo69/Copyoffirebird8.jpg
That is the same body but a later version of mine. The first issue of them was a three wheeler in the teal blue color. It's an AMF Probe Jr. and they made two other versions, one was a four wheeler like yours, probably because of added stability (I think they came in white) and one had tiller handles on each side instead of a steering wheel. I always felt the Firebird influence was the strongest because of the front end. I decided that when I do mine I'm going for more of a restoration. So it'll be the original color and Speedway makes replacement decals for it.
There was a picture of a "boneyard" for pedal cars for sale on ebay and the car front and centre was a 3 wheeled Probe,,,must have been a couple hundred cars in the picture..I really like the car but the name left a lot to be desired IMO,,even though ford ended up naming one of their models a Probe
I tend to agree about the name. The impression I get is that they were going for a space theme with them. Sort of a modernized (for the time) version of the rocket ship pedal cars. Now I'm glad I didn't have time back when I first got it or it would just be the body mounted on a tube frame with fat tires and flame paint. When it's done now the grandkids can play with it a little then it gets hung from the garage rafters.
I just sold a Probe with the optional steering handles on the left and right of the driver
I loved this pedal car a few days ago mostly because it was very cool but somehow naggingly familiar. I know for a fact I never had one.
Last night I took the wife to dinner at a place that decorates with antiques with emphasis on local items, but with some cool random items also. While eating to be seated I looked up at a mock roofline they have built inside and what do you think was anchored to the roof?
A three wheel probe. I knew I saw it somewhere. If you would like a pic I would be happy to snap it next time I am in. Should have done it last night.
The shape does tend to stick in the odd corner of the mind. Thanks for the offer but I think I have plenty of reference pictures now. The project got bumped again because I'm completely redoing my son's Triumph Spitfire as a surprise for him when he gets back to the states from his current deployment (Navy). Maybe someday I'll get back to it but I already have a couple things that have jumped ahead of it. Thanks again.
I owned an AMF Probe X (four wheels) in the 1980s. It was original and unrestored and was red from the factory. I have never seen another one. I had a number of pedal cars that my kids enjoyed racing up and down the driveway and the Probe was by far the fastest.