The Gumdrop stories are a series of 37 children's books written and illustrated by Val Biro. They concern a 1926 Austin 12 hp four cylinder (Austin Clifton twelve four) called "Gumdrop", who gets involved in various adventures.[1] The car is real and was in the author's possession, but the stories are fictional. The first book was The Adventures of a Vintage Car (1966) and the last was Gumdrop's School Adventure (2001). His adventures have included such tales as an encounter with the Loch Ness Monster where Gumdrop and his owner helped to protect the monster being exploited for publicity, a meeting with Father Christmas where Gumdrop helped him deliver presents, and helping an elephant escape an abusive zookeeper and deliver him to a safari park which they soon help to rescue from being destroyed by bulldozers. Given Gumdrop's age, various stories feature a sub-plot of his owners needing to find replacement parts for him as certain components become worn out over time, ranging from a new starter to a complete replacement of his engine, often made more difficult by the fact that these parts are no longer being manufactured directly.

The real-life Gumdrop in 2008
Gumdrop in 2003

A television series of the same name and based on the original books was produced in the 1990s and narrated by Nigel Planer.

Titles

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Number Published Title
1 1966 Gumdrop - Adventures of a Vintage Car
2 1967 Gumdrop and the Farmer's Friend
3 1968 Gumdrop on the Rally
4 1969 Gumdrop on the Move
5 1971 Gumdrop Goes to London
6 1973 Gumdrop Finds a Friend
7 1975 Gumdrop in Double Trouble
TV 1976 Gumdrop and the Steamroller TV
L1 1976 Gumdrop and the Steamroller
L2 1976 Gumdrop Posts a Letter
8 1976 Gumdrop on the Brighton Run
9 1977 Gumdrop Has a Birthday
10 1979 Gumdrop Gets His Wings
Ann1 1979 Gumdrop Annual 1
Ann2 1980 Gumdrop Annual 2
11 1980 Gumdrop Finds a Ghost
12 1981 Gumdrop and the Secret Switches
13 1982 Gumdrop at Sea
14 1982 Gumdrop Makes a Start
L3 1982 Gumdrop and Horace
L4 1982 Gumdrop Races a Train
L5 1976 Gumdrop Goes to School
L6 1983 Gumdrop Gets a Lift
L7 1983 Gumdrop at the Zoo
L8 1983 Gumdrop in a Hurry
L9 1984 Gumdrop Goes Fishing
L10 1984 Gumdrop Has a Tummy-Ache
L11 1984 Gumdrop is the Best Car
L12 1984 Gumdrop On the Farm
15 1984 Gumdrop's Magic Journey
16 1985 Gumdrop and the Monster
17 1986 Gumdrop to the Rescue
18 1988 Gumdrop and the Dinosaur
19 1989 Gumdrop and the Pirates
Omn 1989 Gumdrop Omnibus
20 1990 Gumdrop and the Elephant
21 1991 Gumdrop and the Bulldozers
22 1991 Gumdrop for Ever!
23 1992 Gumdrop's Merry Christmas
24 1998 Gumdrop and the Martians
25 2001 Gumdrop's School Adventure

References

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  1. ^ Eccleshare, Julia (29 July 2014). "Val Biro obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 August 2020.