What do you mean you can’t afford a Ferrari? For just £ £229.99 you could be the proud owner of a fiery red Prancing Horse motor. Well, OK, a Ferrari-tribute children’s car.

With Christmas just around the corner, pedal cars and little battery-powered motors will be on the wish lists of many boys and girls. No doubt they will be tempted by the Ferrari in question, an F12 Berlinetta with 12-volt battery, giving a top speed of 5mph. Branded with official badges and manufactured under licence, features include MP3 input, lights and key start .

Children’s cars first appeared in the 1890's and were rich-kids’ playthings. The 1920's and 1930's were boom years, but pedal car production ceased in the mid-1940's because of the war effort. The cars experienced a new wave of popularity in the 1950's to 1960's but children of that era would have been agog at the sophistication of today’s models.

Ranging from little more than £100 to £10,000-plus, toyland is awash with mini-motors. So we set off to see what was hot on the roads there. Here is our pick:

Little icon

How about a baby Porsche? The company sells its own kiddie-cars . We loved one designed in the style of the new 911 Carrera, with digital gearshift, forward and reverse gears and a top speed of 2.5 mph from battery power. It will set you back £390.

Grandeur on a small-scale

For those with deeper pockets, what about a £15,000 electric car? The mini classic motor was made by Rolls-Royce, and is a scale replica of a 1907 Silver Ghost, the full-size model being worth about £30million.

Top speed is 8mph, thanks to a 24-volt electric motor, and features include pedals for accelerator and brake, rack-and-pinion steering, headlights, hand brake, and bulb horn. The £15,000 price was paid at Bonham’s Goodwood Revival sale this year.

Rover and out? Not quite …

The Land Rover Defender may be facing the big farewell, but it will live on in miniature. The iconic 4x4 ceases UK production next month, but you will still be able to buy one – as long as you are up for some pedalling.

The car maker’s new model for children and collectors will go on sale for £10,000 next spring. Measuring 55in x 22in, it is being hand-built in Britain and features include protective chequer plate, off-road tyres, mudflaps and an authentically-styled dashboard. A Land Rover spokesman said: ‘The unique pedal car represents a fitting tribute to the one of the world’s most iconic vehicles.’

Three-wheeler tribute

Morgan joined the pedal power brigade with a limited run of 500 centenary children’s cars. Built alongside its bigger brothers at the Morgan factory, the 2/3 scale masterpiece shares the same quality materials, crafted from lightweight aluminium, and with an imitation cast V-twin engine and tubular chassis. The Supersport Jnr also boasts lights and hand-stitched adjustable seating.

A miner product

A pedal car made in 1949, priced at £25, went under the hammer and sold for £4,400. The Austin Pathfinder Junior was made from the same gauge pressed steel as full-size Austins of the period, complete with cream livery, grille and, best of all, a detachable bonnet that releases to reveal a mini faux twin-cam engine.

It was one of a run of cars made in Wales by a specially-trained workforce of 250 injured miners at a factory set up to help rehabilitate them by teaching them new skills.

Swede dreams

Saab dealers sold kids’ cars alongside the Trollhatten factory’s full-size motors for a few years from 1983. The Saab Turbo Convertible Junior models were made in cooperation with a Finnish company, were powered by a 127cc, 3.5bhp four stroke engine and had a top speed of 22 mph. The original price was £1,250.

For junior comrades

Finally, an Iron Curtain call. Russia’s AZLK factory had its own section of Moskvich pedal cars, made in the 1970s and 1980s from pressed steel and weighing in at 20kg.