Before: The Land Rover Nick Pointing bought to transform into the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang car
Posted on 04/04/2007 4:20:05 PM PDT by Stoat
She's watched the movie hundreds of times, seen the West End show and even has a lunchbox featuring the magical flying car.
Now, thanks to her husband and four years of oil, sweat and tears, Carolyn Pointing has her own full-size Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
The 42-year-old police constable, who fell in love with the film as a three-year-old, said: "It's a dream come true."
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Before: The Land Rover Nick Pointing bought to transform into the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang car
After: The transformation is complete - and a delighted Carol Pointing belts up for a ride
Husband Nick, 41, a manager for Marks & Spencer, spent every spare minute building his creation using the chassis of an old Land Rover.
Now the couple, from Sandown, Isle of Wight, plan to take a 12-month career break and tour the world with the car raising money for charity.
Mr Pointing said: "I had already taken Carolyn to the London stage show, bought the DVD and a toy model so in a way this was the logical next step.
"Early one Sunday morning as we sat up in bed discussing Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, I said, 'All right, I'll build you one then!'"
Mr Pointing taught himself how to weld and started work on the car in 2003. The project has dominated their lives ever since.
Strip it down and start again: How the Land Rover was transformed
He said: "Chitty has been our main focus - everything has revolved around it.
"I went to various firms for help, but when they heard I wanted to build a replica of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang they looked at me as if I was a nut. So I've done it all myself.
"It's cost me thousands of pounds but I don't like to think of the final figure. I've also spent most weekends working on the car from dawn to dusk - it's been a real labour of love."
The book of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang was written by James Bond author Ian Fleming and published in 1964. The film was released four years later with author Roald Dahl working on the screenplay.
The story is about an eccentric professor called Caractacus Potts, played in the film by Dick Van Dyke, who invents the flying car.
Sally Ann Howes plays Truly Scrumptious, who befriends the professor as they rescue imprisoned children in the land of Vulgaria.
To create his own Chitty, Mr Pointing bought a 1973 Series 3 Land Rover for £100 and stripped it down to the 2.3-litre engine and the chassis.
Then, using stills from the movie and a Corgi model as a guide, he crafted the body of the car using wood from a boatyard and shaped the cylindrical metal bonnet using steel rollers.
Period car parts were acquired at classic car auctions at the National Motor Museum, in Beaulieu, Hampshire, while he also utilised several bits from an old Mitsubishi Galant and parts from a Singer sewing machine.
Lamps from the M&S homeware department were used for the headlights.
The car has a brass fuel tank and its windscreen comes from an MG sports car.
To complete the look, Mr Pointing ordered a set of spoked wheels from Italy costing £1,500 and spent hours in his garage crafting the 6ft redandyellow wings from aluminium.
This week the finished car passed its MoT and the couple are ready for the trip of a lifetime as they drive 12,000 miles to Australia - via India - to raise money for the Earl Mountbatten Hospice, Multiple Sclerosis Society and the World Wildlife Fund.
The drive is expected to take four months.
Mrs Pointing has collected a huge array of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang memorabilia, including some of the original 1960s merchandise such as pop-up books and board games.
She said her 16-year-old daughter Michelle thinks she is "sad".
"She told me the other day I should get out more."
Yes, I know that there are all sorts of ways to find fault with this....the steering column is completely wrong, no side-mounted lever gearshifts or brakes, the wings don't extend/retract, where are the propellers, the wife has an abnormal fixation, etc.etc.etc.
What captured my attention more than anything in this is that it's a story of incredible love and devotion of this man for this lady. He taught himself to weld and apparently did all of the work himself, spending the better part of four years to do it. He's made his wife completely happy and the car is road-legal.
Automotive Ping :-)
Freeper Singles / Yes, true love and absolute devotion still exists ping :-)
BTW, I don't think the movie used any petrol-powered cars. I recall it used at least one butane-powered one, and I don't know that any of the others were powered at all.
In answer to the question....
Perhaps the idea of a handmade frame would have been too much for the vehicle inspection ? If he starts with an already-legal frame, then he probably sidesteps all sorts of problems with getting it legally certified for use on the road.
I'm impressed with how well he achieves the look of GEN11.
Me too....it looks great and his wife's smile makes it all worthwhile.
BTW, I don't think the movie used any petrol-powered cars. I recall it used at least one butane-powered one, and I don't know that any of the others were powered at all.
That's very interesting...I hadn't heard that before. I saw the film as a child but I can't say that I've studied it at all.
LMAO
I just recall that from the "making of" DVD, which included an interview with the owner of the operable GEN11. I don't think he explicitly said why it was butane powered, but I know butane is used for indoor forklifts because its emissions are safer than those of diesel or gasoline; I would think the same issues would apply to a car used in studio.
I just recall that from the "making of" DVD, which included an interview with the owner of the operable GEN11. I don't think he explicitly said why it was butane powered, but I know butane is used for indoor forklifts because its emissions are safer than those of diesel or gasoline; I would think the same issues would apply to a car used in studio.
That makes perfect sense....they wouldn't have had to drive the movie car any sort of a long distance, after all.
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