Three generations have watched and been delighted by the classic 1968 British film comedy Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. It is perhaps the world’s most famous car. Now a faithful replica is coming to Ludlow to start its near 1,000 mile journey to Switzerland, via Germany and the Alps.
The car will be on display outside Ludlow Castle from 10am to 1.30pm on Sunday, 18 August. The following week, it will begin a journey that takes in scenes from the film and ends in Switzerland after a challenging drive over the Alps.
This madcap adventure aims to raise awareness of prostate cancer and to encourage older men to get regular tests. Any funds raised in the UK will be donated to Prostate Cancer UK (prostatecanceruk.org). Monies raised in Germany will go to local charities.
The journey begins at Ludlow Castle on 18 August. After driving around the outer bailey, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang will be parked outside the main gate on Castle Square from 10am to 1pm.
Sadly, this recreation of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang cannot fly. Much of the onward journey will be by necessity on a trailer. The first stop will be Cobstone Windmill in the Chilterns. In the film, this was the home of the eccentric inventor Caractacus Potts played by Dick Van Dyke. Then on to Rothenburg, which was used as the Vulgarian village, where children were forbidden by law and where the feared Child Snatcher prowled with his net. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang will be exhibited in the main square before moving to the Kriminal Museum in Rothenburg.
The final leg of the journey takes a different tack. Ian Fleming, better known as the creator of James Bond, wrote the children’s book Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. In a famous scene in Goldfinger, Bond drives over Furka Pass in an Aston Martin DB5, racing against Tilly Masterson’s car. In a tribute to Fleming, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang will be driven over the the passes (Susten, Furka and Grimsel) to Andermatt reaching heights of more than 2,400m on each pass. This is an ambitious challenge for a car built on a 1929 Humber chassis and running gear with a Morris 1000 engine and gear box! All parts for the car and work on it have been donated.
Many of the team behind this venture, known as the MAD Men, are from Shropshire. MAD Men was setup after team leader Tim Preece, now age 60, suffered from symptomless prostate cancer. The disease was only diagnosed by a prostate specific antigen (PSA) blood test. After having his prostate removed along with 26 lymph nodes, the cancer returned. Seven weeks of radiotherapy followed and he is now living a lively life. Tim passionately believes that men need to know more about prostate cancer and the need for annual testing to catch the disease early to reduce the damage it causes to people’s lives.
Information about prostate cancer and testing will be available on Castle (Events) Square, outside Ludlow Castle on 18 August, 10am to 1:30pm. Everyone is welcome.
The MAD Men (https://madmen20.com/) have set up a Just Giving page to raise funds for Prostate Cancer UK:
