Manufacturers
Power Car Company:
The PowerCar Company actually started as the New London Metal Processing Corporation in 1949. They started producing the D4 Caterpillar Crawler they are Pedal and or Electric powered. After the Korean war they moved to Mystic Conn., and the owner George Ford started producing in 1955 the T-Bird Jr. The company produced Electric Powered Cars in to the late 1960's. Junior Central is a web site with a great history section on these cars.
Silvestri Art Company, 1956 Pontiac Star Chief Jr.
What we have been able to learn so far, is that the cars were manufactured by the Silvestri Art Company in Chicago, IL. in 1956. The Silvestri Art Company worked with the Pontiac division of the GM engineers to create a realistic miniature of the Star Chief. They originally were intended for promotional use only, but at some later date they were available to the public for a small fee of $495.00 F.O.B. Chicago. If any one has information on the Silvestri Art Company or these cars and is willing to share it please contact me. I am always looking for more information about these cars or any others that the company might have produced.
The Barry Toycraft Company
The Barry Toycraft Co. was a division of St Paul Corrugating Co. They were located at 3 W. Water St., St. Paul 7, Minn. They produced a electric powered Corvette in 1963 under a contract with Chevrolet Division of general Motors. The cars measure 77" long, 29 1/2" wide & 18 1/2" tall, not including the windshield. They weighed in at 230 LBS.
The cars only were one color bright red. The red fiberglass body was manufactured by Luger Industries Inc. a Bloomington Boat Manufacturing Firm. These cars were powered by a 12 volt motor that works off a standard 12 volt car battery. The cars featured foreword and reverse, could reach a speed of 6 miles per hour, had adjustable padded bucket type seat and a racing type steering wheel. This Vette unlike the PowerCars had independent suspension which was a first year feature on the real 1963 Corvette.
Chevrolet used these cars as giveaways in a national promotion. They also contracted Barry Toycraft to produce 1200 of these Vette's to be distributed to several thousand dealers. The first showing of this Kiddie Corvette was in New York at the Toy Fair March 11th - 16th, 1963.
The Donalson Manufacturing Co.
The Donalson Manufacturing Co. was based at 3150 Dodge Rd. Kansas City, Kansas. They advertised their cars emerging from the blueprints through mock up to assembly line just like the adult auto mobiles. Every part was "road tested" from bumper to bumper.
The 1957 Sunliner 500 Jr. came with a high impact styrene plastic body with the color built in. They also were offered in two versions pedal and electric powered.
In 1958 they offered the Sunliner 500 Jr. and the Edisel. They were offered in electric and Pedal powered like the 1957. But these bodies were made in Fiberglass. All three models use the same frames, bumpers and hub caps.