Bobbycar

A Bobbycar is a toy car designed for children from the age of around two. The Classic model is red, made of plastic and is about 60cm long and 40cm high. It has four wheels. The car has been produced by the BIG company since 1972 at sites in Fürth and Burghaslach in Germany. After the death in 2003 of the Bobbycar inventor, Ernst A. Bettag, the Simba Dickie group took over the company. The name "Bobbycar" is protected. An alternative name would be "running learning vehicle" or "slide car" (because of sliding action over the ground). Since 2005, a "new Bobbycar" has been produced for which the Classic design was revised.

Bobbycar for children

The Bobbycar was invented in order to help children learn to run. It has a kind of seat in which the child can sit as on a motorcycle. By swinging its legs, the child can move the car. Today, numerous accessories exist such as connecting rods, light running tyres, trailer, etc. As well as being manufactured in different colours, it also comes in variants such as a police car or tow truck. Special editions have been made to honour well known German cars, such as Mercedes-Benz SLK, Audi TT, Smart, and Volkswagen Beetle. In cooperation with tyre manufacturer Fulda a model having real tyres rather than the usual hard plastic variety was produced.

Bobbycar Racing

In the 1990s another use of Bobbycars emerged: Professional competitive driving. The plastic body is strong enough to carry adults. The steering element and the axles are strengthened to handle high speeds (approximately 60 km/h). Competitions are held on closed roads with steep downward gradients.

The "official" German speed record of a Bobbycars was set on 28 April 2003 by Marco Fischer from the BobbyCarClub Coburg, who achieved a speed of 108.2 km/h.

[http://bobby-car-rennen.big.de/]