Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (car)

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Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is the fictional vintage racing car which features in the book and musical film of the same name.

Writer Ian Fleming took his inspiration for the car from a series of aero-engined racing cars built by Count Louis Zborowski in the early 1920s, christened "Chitty Bang Bang".

[edit] Film cars

For the film version, six cars were created, including a fully functional road going car. It was designed by the film's production designer Ken Adam and built by Alan Mann Racing in Hertfordshire in 1967, and fitted with a Ford 3000 V6 engine and automatic transmission. It was allocated a genuine UK registration: GEN 11. The car has been in the private ownership of Pierre Picton since the early 1970s. Five other car props were built by the studio. A second, smaller road-going version, a transforming car, a hover-car, a flying car, and another engineless version for trailer work. Most had engines added after filming was complete and they were all used to promote the film throughout the world.

The other road version which only appears in 12 seconds of the movie is currently on display at The Cars of the Stars Museum in Keswick, Cumbria. There were construction flaws on this vehicle which inhibited its use. The "flying car" from the movie is currently advertised for sale for $10million in the USA. EON productions own the less-detailed transforming version which they use to promote the stage musical, and the final road version is in the private ownership of Anthony Bamford - it is on display at the British National Motor Museum in Beaulieu, Hampshire, UK. The hover-car was a shell mounted on a speed boat. This version was destroyed after filming. Only the original road-going version wears the registration GEN 11 legitimately.

The car appeared in a humorous Public information film aimed at motorists, intended to remind them to pay their road tax. Ironically, there was criticism as the car was technically exempt from road tax. All cars built before 1 January 1973 are exempt from road tax in the UK, though they have to display a tax disc saying so. Appropriately enough, the PIF was a parody of the film.

Recently MGM licensed a replica to be built for a commercial photography business in the United Kingdom. The car is roadworthy and has the registration number GEN 22. It weighs around 1.5 tons and is nearly 18’ long, 6’ wide, the brass lamps are all original period pieces and the brass snake horn came from one of the original Chitty cars. The engine is a 3L V6 Ford with a BorgWarner automatic gearbox. ^[1] The car is displayed at events and in shopping centres.

In July 2009, the road-going version of the car was prevented from being used in a local UK event, as the car was deemed not roadworthy.^[2]

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Pierre Picton's "GEN 11" website
• The cars constructed for the film
• Beaulieu - Home of Britain's National Motor Museum

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