The eponymous car that starred in the 1968 film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is up for sale.

Though it won’t float on the water or fly if it’s driven off a cliff, this is the real, roadworthy deal, sold to a studio employee who has cared for it since filming ended. Now, it’s up for auction in May.

During filming, stunt doubles were used when the car was flying or sailing. Since then, several copies have been made for promotional events, but none bears the provenance of the so-called GEN 11 vehicle. Named for the license plate it features in both the film and the Ian Fleming story that it was based on, the car was sold to stunt driver Pierre Picton after the movie was released and has been in his possession ever since.

“The car comes with the original title dated 1967 with the owner as United Artists Corporation/Warfield Productions, Ltd., with ownership transferring to Pierre in early 1973,” said Brian Chanes of Profiles in History, the Hollywood memorabilia auction house that’s selling the car. “In addition, there is a letter dated March 3, 1972, on United Artists Corporation, Ltd., letterhead addressed to Pierre Picton discussing his acceptance of the price asked for the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang car.”

Since then, Pierre registered the car in the United Kingdom — with a license plate reading “GEN 11? — and lovingly cared for it. United Artists’ successor MGM flew the car to Hollywood in 2003 for the release of a special-edition DVD of the film, which also featured a virtual tour of the vehicle.

Designed by Ford’s racing team to resemble a prewar vehicle, Chitty was no mock-up. Though she stayed on land throughout filming, she moved under her own power whenever possible and has been driven regularly ever since. The vehicle was built on a ladder frame with a boat deck crafted out of red and white cedar, a polished aluminum hood, a dashboard from a British World War I fighter plane and actual exterior pieces from 1930s vehicles.

As a handcrafted car with an illustrious history, this piece of memorabilia won’t come cheap. The auction house has offered a presale estimate of between $1 and $2 million.

Photo: Profiles in History