Zborowski
Chitty Bang Bang 1

Why it matters

The first of the aero-engined racing cars built by Count Louis Zborowski after the First World War. Its 23-litre Maybach engine and chain drive made it one of the giants of Brooklands, and the car inspired the name later used in Ian Fleming's children's book.

How rare is it?

Six separate kinds of rarity – never combined into one number.

Each kind of rarity is rated separately and never combined.

Production

Every figure says what it counts.

Independent counts (e.g. engine and colour) are never combined into a calculated figure. Surviving examples are never presented as original production.

History

Zborowski built the car with his engineer Captain Clive Gallop. On its first outing at the Easter 1921 Brooklands meeting it won two races, including the Short Handicap at 100.75 mph, and it was later timed at almost 120 mph on the straight.

Zborowski last raced it in September 1922 when he left the banking in practice after shedding a tyre. The car was rebuilt but not raced again by him. It later passed to the Conan Doyle brothers, who ran it in Brooklands speed trials in the 1930s, and it was eventually cut up for parts.

Technical specifications

Engine

Transmission & drivetrain

Chassis, body & dimensions

Performance

“Not yet verified” means no source has been checked for that value yet. Nothing is estimated to fill a gap.

Sources

Each number links to the exact facts it supports.

1. 1
   Motor Sport, October 1930 – Veteran Types Level C

   • 1 Individual car: Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang I, one of the two Maybach-engined Mercedes-chassis Chittys; wrecked at Brooklands 1922

   Accessed 2026-11-12
2. 2
   Chitty Bang Bang Level C British Motor Manufacturers 1894-1960

   • The car was ... eventually cut up for parts
   • chain-driven Mercedes chassis
   • Chitty I was a chain-driven Mercedes chassis
   • a chain-driven Mercedes chassis
   • recorded at almost 120 mph (192 kph) on the straight

   Accessed 2026-11-13
3. 3
   What Would Bond, James Bond, Drive? Level C Dennis Simanaitis · Road & Track · 2011-08-07

   • 6-cylinder Maybach Zeppelin engine displacing 23,093 cc
   • 6-cylinder Maybach Zeppelin engine ... four overhead valves per cylinder operated by exposed pushrods and rockers
   • 6-cylinder Maybach Zeppelin engine
   • displacing 23,093 cc
   • its four overhead valves per cylinder operated by exposed pushrods and rockers
   • These chain-drive giants pounded around the famed Brooklands circuit

   Accessed 2026-11-13