Kids’ Race Cars on Display at Petersen Automotive Museum

New exhibition will focus on wide range of kids’ competition cars.

The Petersen Automotive Museum just announced the opening of a new exhibit that will display a varied line up of child-sized race cars. The exhibition, named “Sidewalk Speedsters: The Grown-Up World of Children’s Cars” focuses on competition cars for children, and children of all ages.

The exhibition, presented by Lucas Oil, offers a look at many different types of child-sized race cars. There will be vintage, new, electric, gas, luxury, hot rods, and more. Don’t call them toys, the kids’ car industry has grown to make over $430 million per year, dominating among toy and game sellers.

“Sidewalk Speedsters’ marks a playful change of pace for the museum.” said Petersen Chief Historian Leslie Kendall. “I had so much fun choosing the vehicles on display, as I grew up racing similar cars.”

Some of the notable cars on display include a 1927 Bugatti Type 52 “Baby,” a 1995 Meyness Bentley, and a 1977 Porsche 936 Le Mans Jr. The exhibit also spotlights a 1968 Disneyland Autopia buggy, a 1931 Custer, a 1945 Plexiglas Lucas, a 1938 Maytag, a 1955 “Homemade,” a 1939 Motokar, a 1934 National Junior Racer, “The Lad’s Car,” “The Junior Automobile,” a 1934 Cannonball Racer, a 1954 Vanguard Sidewalk Racer, and a 1955 Viking Craft.

Says Kendall, “The whimsical selection will perfectly juxtapose the more serious presentations, adding an exciting element of surprise to the museum’s overall atmosphere.”

For more information, go to The Petersen Automotive Museum.

Images Courtesy of The Petersen Automotive Museum

S.J. Bryan

Longtime automotive journalist S.J. Bryan has been covering the automotive industry for over five years and is an editor with Ford Truck Enthusiasts and regular contributor to F-150 Online, Harley-Davidson Forums, and The Mustang Source, among other popular auto sites.

Bryan first discovered her passion for all things automotive while riding in her parent's 1968 Ford Mustang. The automotive expert cut her teeth growing up riding on Harleys, and her first car was a Chevy Nova. Despite her lead foot, Bryan has yet to receive a speeding ticket.

The award-winning former playwright was first published at age 18. She has worked extensively as a writer and editor for a number of lifestyle and pop culture publications. The diehard gearhead is a big fan of American muscle cars, sixth-gen Ford trucks, and Oxford commas.

S.J. can be reached at sherryjbry@gmail.com.