An extremely rare Chitty Chitty Bang Bang child’s pedal car is set to go under the hammer today (August 13).
The miniature toy vehicle is made of plastic and finished in gold with a metal grille and bumper and extending wings, and will be up for grabs at Excalibur Auctions in Kings Langley.
It was made in Italy in 1967 at the famous Pines factory and is in good condition. Only 12 of them were ever made and they were originally sold at Harrods.
The car is part of a private collection of items which feature in the iconic family film, all lovingly amassed by someone “directly connected” to the film, who is not being named by the auctioneers.
Original artworks by the cartoonist who designed all the inventions for the 1968 film could fetch up to £3,000 at the same auction.
Designed by celebrated cartoonist and kinetic sculptor Rowland Emett OBE (1906-1990), they were created for the film’s eccentric main character, an inventor ‘Caractacus Pott’ or ‘Potts’, played Dick Van Dyke in the film.
The work illustrates a design for ‘The Potts Cruft-de-Luxe Dog Tidy’ and features Emett’s annotations explaining how each part of the invention works.
Commissioned by Warfield Productions, the concept artwork was among the ideas for the film’s fairground scene, which eventually featured the famous hair cutting machine.
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An unpublished print taken from the original sketch artwork for Grandpa's hut in the film, which features annotations such as ‘Fireman’s Helmet’, is estimated to fetch between £60 and £80.
A model of the levitating hut inhabited by Grandpa Potts in the film could fetch up to £4,500 while a full-size wooden version of the ‘Coggins Garage’ sign could fetch up to £600.
Signed photographs by the film’s cast also feature in the collection.
It will feature in a sale of Movie, TV and Music Posters and Memorabilia.
Jonathan Torode, of Excalibur Auctions, said: “We are delighted to be able to offer such a special private collection of items that come from a direct source to the film.
“We are sure that there will be a lot of competition for these pieces from around the globe, as it is and remains, such an iconic film, that continues to delight from generation to generation.”
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