Launched amid great fanfare in June 1939, the ATCO Junior Safety-first Trainer was designed to help stem the rising toll of road casualties by introducing children to the skills of driving from the tender age of seven onwards.

It was the brainchild of the boffins at Charles H Pugh Ltd of Whitworth Works, Birmingham, rather more famous for the manufacture of lawnmowers.

The plan was to sell the cars in huge numbers to schools and local authorities as part of a nationwide road safety initiative, and it received widespread backing from press and politicians alike, including the House of Lords Select Committee on the Prevention of Road Accidents.

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