23 Liters, minimal brakes: The original Chitty Bang Bang

Inspired by our mention of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang last month, our pal Gene Herman went through his collection of automobilia and scanned for us a 1967 Profile Publications article detailing the history of Count Louis Vorow Zborowski and the three aero-engined cars he built in the early 1920s called Chitty Bang Bang. Author William Boddy appropriately infuses the article with the adventure it deserves, recounting the Count’s insistence on a flimsy chassis and almost non-existent brakes to go along with the ginormous war surplus engines he kept dropping into these cars. While other aero-engined cars associated with Zborowski murdered race car drivers left and right – and Zborowski himself died at the wheel of a non-Chitty Mercedes – it’s amazing the Chitty cars were in total responsible for only the loss of three fingers off a timing official’s hand.

By the way, I keep reading that the “Chitty Bang Bang” name was inspired by a bawdy World War I song, but have yet to discover lyrics to that song. Anybody care to recite those lyrics for us?

Thanks, Gene!