what kind of car is chitty chitty bang bang

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is not a real production model but a custom-built, vintage-style fantasy car created specifically for the 1968 film, designed as a boat-tailed, brass-and-wood Edwardian racing car with magical abilities.

What kind of car is it?

• In the story, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is a magical vintage racing car that can drive, float like a boat, and fly with fold-out wings.

• The design blends elements of early 1900s Grand Prix racers and speed records cars, with a long bonnet, exposed wheels, and a boat-like rear deck.

Real-world construction

• The main “hero” car used for driving scenes in the 1968 film was a fully functional, road-going custom built on a bespoke chassis and powered by a Ford Essex V6 engine with automatic transmission.

• The body features a cedar boat tail, brass fittings, and a dashboard plate from a World War I British fighter plane, emphasizing its faux-Edwardian, aero-racer character rather than any single real car model.

Inspiration behind the car

• Ian Fleming based the fictional Chitty on real 1920s aero-engined racing cars built by Count Louis Zborowski, also called Chitty Bang Bang , which used huge Maybach aero engines on Mercedes chassis.

• The film’s designers further drew inspiration from cars like the 1909 Blitzen Benz and other early racing machines, exaggerating their proportions to create an iconic movie car rather than a faithful replica of any one vehicle.

So, how to describe it simply?

If someone asks “What kind of car is Chitty Chitty Bang Bang?” a clear answer is:

It’s a custom-built, Edwardian-style racing car created for the 1968 movie, inspired by 1920s aero-engined racers, with a Ford V6–powered hero car used for filming—not a real production model.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.