The c ar’s The Star

The big bang bang

While there can only be one Chitty in our minds, there were, in reality, around seven that existed on the set, to be used in various situations, such as for the scenes either on the water or in the air, as well as a handful of partially built models. The real car – the one used in actual driving scenes – was deftly manoeuvred by Van Dyke, despite its weight and size. “I’ve steered it a few times and it’s an incredibly hard car to drive,” says Hall. “Its only saving grace is that it’s an automatic!”