1970 Plymouth Road Runner Superbird Pedal Car

Beep-Beep!

This green 55-inch pedal car with the classic purple road runner is the most expensive one ever sold at auction for $59,000! The owner of this beauty was the late Elmer Duellman who was known worldwide as a preeminent authority and collector of pedal cars.  During his lifetime Elmer amassed one of the world's largest and most encompassing collections of its kind. Throughout his time collecting, Duellman became so knowledgeable about the hobby and so well-known within its realm he contributed to a series of books on the topic and was sought out by others compiling reference and price guides for contributions of information and imagery from his collection.  Elmer and his wife, Bernadette even gifted one of their pedal cars, a circa 1953 Kidillac, to the Smithsonian in Washington D.C. in 2003 to be featured as part of a display called America on the Move within the National Museum of American History.

Elmer Duellman loved almost anything with wheels

He shared his enthusiasm with the world

Elmer Duellman knew what he liked and liked what he knew.

Amercians learn to love cars at a very early age.  More than just play, ownership of pedal cars is a progressive initiation into the culture of personal mobility which leads to an automobile learner's permit and drivers license in adolescence.  One pedal car manufacturer coined he slogan, Raise the Kiddies on Wheels to express this extended bonding experience with personal, mechanized transportation.  Pint-sized, pedal-powered cars for children became available in the first decade of the 20th century.  Soon after automobiles appeared on the market and they were mass-marketed by 1910.  Pedal cars remained very popular for decades and came in a wide selection of styles.  Some pedal cars even resembled specific makes and models of automobiles such as the Kidillac/Cadillac.