Your AACA membership runs on a calendar year from January 1 through December 31. That means you only have a few days left to renew for 2015! 

If you have already renewed your membership for 2015, thank you!! If you have not renewed your membership yet, please take a few minutes to do it now. Renewing your membership only takes 5 minutes and can be done one of three ways...

• Renew online - fill out the secure online form and pay with your credit card
• Renew by mail - fill out the form that came with your November/December issue of Antique Automobile magazine, provide payment in the form of a check made out to AACA or your credit card information and then mail it to AACA, 501 W. Governor Rd., Hershey, PA 17033
• Renew by phone - call AACA Headquarters (717-534-1910) and any of the staff here would be happy to take your renewal over the phone with credit card payment (office hours: 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time) 

Scratching your head trying to find that last-minute gift for your favorite car-lover? Why not give the gift of membership?! 60,000 members strong with almost 400 regions & chapters, the AACA is America's premiere resource for the collectible vehicle community. Membership is only $35 ($45 outside the US) and benefits include a subscription to our award-winning Antique Automobile magazine, free admission to the AACA Museum in Hershey, PA, free research at the AACA Library & Research Center and the ability to participate in National Meets & Tours. 

An AACA membership really is the perfect gift! Click here to purchase a membership now or call AACA Headquarters at 717-534-1910. HURRY - Headquarters is open through Wednesday! 

For nearly 50 years, Motorbooks has embraced the gearhead life. If it has wheels, they dig it. Wrench, Race, Ride, Roll, Read: that's their mantra. Alongside publishing its own titles, Motorbooks continues to offer the best books from other premier transportation publishers as well.

Here's how to take advantage of this great new member benefit:

• Visit www.motorbooks.com (you can also shop at www.QBookshop.com).
• Browse and shop for the books you want - make sure to add them to your shopping cart.
• Ready to check out? Use the discount code AACA to get 40% off your purchases.

Now, enjoy your new books!

As a child, did you ever own a pedal car? These kid-powered vehicles are among the most timeless of toys and, here at the library, we enjoy them just as much as their real counterparts. One of the most popular pedal cars in recent memory was the Austin J40 and, after finding some J40 sales literature in our collection, we felt compelled to share this toy's fascinating history.

Austin Motor Company Limited introduced two pedal cars in 1949. The first of these was the Pathfinder Special, which was based off of the late 1930s OHV 750 Austin Seven race car. The J40 (alternatively known as the Junior 40) quickly followed and was inspired by Austin's own A40 Devon & Dorset models. It was 5' 3" long and weighed in at 95 lbs.

Literature proclaimed the J40 was "just like father's car" because it featured an impressive array of bells and whistles to wow any child. It sported a pressed steel body, working hood and trunk, and leather cloth seating. Wheels were removable and fitted with Dunlop 12 ½" x 2 ¼" pneumatic tires, and 24.5 volt batteries provided power to the horn and headlights. In 1952, a young Prince Charles received a special J40 outfitted with extra features, including a windshield and spotlight. Though still pedal-powered, designers went out of their way to include a dummy engine for added realism.

Equally impressive as the J40 itself was the fact that its manufacture was a nonprofit enterprise. As early as 1943, the British government expressed an interest in working with businesses to help disabled miners find gainful employment. Given the nature of mining, respiratory diseases proved the most prevalent health problem. 

Austin's Chairman and Managing Director, Leonard P. Lord, took the miners' plight to heart and spearheaded construction of the Austin Junior Car Factory (completed in 1949) in the Welsh mining town of Pengam. According to one brochure, "Here, in good conditions with the guidance of an experienced rehabilitation officer and under supervision of a doctor, disabled Welsh miners are able to find a new interest in life and do a job of work that is both useful and congenial." By 1965, the factory boasted more than five hundred employees.

When it came to cutting manufacturing costs, Austin was resourceful. Most of the steel and leather used in the construction of the pedal cars was sourced from leftover scraps from the Austin factory. Thanks to the nature of Austin's charitable enterprise, they were able to get a special deal on Dunlop tires. Champion even donated faulty spark plugs for use in the dummy engines.

1971 would be the final year of Austin pedal car production, with more than 30,000 units having been built over the course of the plant's history. The Welsh factory remained open until 1999, making parts for Austin-Rover (incorporated into the Rover Group in 1989). However, the little Pathfinder and J40 arguably remain the plant's lasting legacy.

Discover More:

If you would like to see the library's Austin J40 brochures, be sure to contact us. Those with a general interest in pedal cars will want to swing by the library, as we have several books devoted to the subject. There are even a few pedal cars in the lobby!  

(Information coming soon!)