Makes › Zborowski › Chitty Bang Bang 2 · Historically significant · 1921
Zborowski
Chitty Bang Bang 2
Aero-engined Brooklands special of Count Zborowski
Still being researched: identification guide, full specifications. Everything shown is checked against the cited sources. Know more? Send us a source.
Contents
01Overview
At a glance
- Built
- Not yet verified
- Years
- 1921
- Engine
- Benz BZ IV aero engine · 18,882 cc / 18.9 LFactory: 18,882 cc
- Power
- 172 kW / 233 PSFactory: 230 hp · converted
- Top speed
- Not yet verified
- Body
- Not yet verified
- Designer
- Count Louis Zborowski with Captain Clive Gallop
- In this archive
- Not yet verified
- Surviving
- 1 (independently researched)
Sources and any conflicting figures are in the sections below.
Why it matters
The second of Count Zborowski's aero-engined Chittys and the only one that still exists. It was lighter and shorter in wheelbase than the first car and was used mainly as a road car, once driven across the Sahara.
How rare is it?
Six separate kinds of rarity – never combined into one number.
Each kind of rarity is rated separately and never combined.
02Production & history
Production
Every figure says what it counts.
| What is counted | Figure | Basis | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total model productionChitty II is described as the only surviving Chitty car | 12 | Surviving examples | Independently researched |
| Total model productionIndividual car: Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang II, the surviving one of the two Maybach-engined Chittys | 11 | Surviving examples | Independently researched |
Independent counts (e.g. engine and colour) are never combined into a calculated figure. Surviving examples are never presented as original production.
History
Chitty II was under construction by summer 1921 on a shorter Mercedes chassis and carried an 18,882 cc, 230 hp Benz BZ IV aero engine. It raced only once at Brooklands alongside Chitty I, and was later used as a road car; Zborowski and friends drove it in the Sahara in January 1922.
It was bought by Bill Hollis of Temple Ewell, Kent, for 300 pounds and a Hillman Aero Minx, and used regularly until the outbreak of war. Road & Track notes an appearance at the Pebble Beach Concours in 2007.
Variants
How each version differs from the standard Chitty Bang Bang 2.
No variants documented yet. Have a source? Contribute it.
03Specifications
Technical specifications
Engine
| Engine family | Benz BZ IV aero engine2 Independently researchedBoth cached sources name a Benz engine for Chitty II. The batch scope calls Chitty II Maybach-engined, which the sources do not support. |
|---|---|
| Engine code | Not yet verified |
| Layout | Benz BZ IV aero engine2 Independently researched |
| Cylinders | 62 Independently researched |
| Displacement | 18,882 cc / 18.9 LFactory: 18,882 cc2,3 Independently researched |
| Bore | Not yet verified |
| Stroke | Not yet verified |
| Compression ratio | Not yet verified |
| Fuel system | Not yet verified |
| Power | 172 kW / 233 PSFactory: 230 hp · converted2 Independently researched |
| Power at | Not yet verified |
| Torque | Not yet verified |
Transmission & drivetrain
| Gearbox | Chain drive3 Independently researched |
|---|---|
| Gears | Not yet verified |
| Final drive | Chain drive3 Independently researched |
| Driven wheels | Not yet verified |
Chassis, body & dimensions
| Chassis | Mercedes chassis with shorter wheelbase than Chitty I2 Independently researched |
|---|---|
| Front suspension | Not yet verified |
| Rear suspension | Not yet verified |
| Brakes | Not yet verified |
| Steering | Not yet verified |
| Body construction | Not yet verified |
| Wheelbase | Not yet verified |
| Length | Not yet verified |
| Width | Not yet verified |
| Height | Not yet verified |
| Front track | Not yet verified |
| Rear track | Not yet verified |
| Kerb weight | Not yet verified |
| Dry weight | Not yet verified |
Performance
| Maximum speed | Not yet verified |
|---|---|
| 0–100 km/h | Not yet verified |
| Fuel tank | Not yet verified |
“Not yet verified” means no source has been checked for that value yet. Nothing is estimated to fill a gap.
04Colours & options
Factory colours & interiors
Original paint and trim, with the number of cars in each where a source gives it.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
Factory options & codes
Codes are shown exactly as written by the manufacturer.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
05Individual cars
Chassis register
Every documented car, with its colours, history and where it is now. Open a row for the full record. Known chassis are not automatically authenticated originals.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
Competition history
Every race result of the individual cars, in date order. Click a chassis number to open its full record in the register.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
Auction & sale history
Documented public sales of the individual cars. Click a chassis number to open its full record in the register.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
See one in person
Museums where an example of this car can be seen.
No example is documented on public display yet. Have a source? Contribute it.
06Reference
Identification guide
How to tell an original from a replica or later conversion.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
Sources
Each number links to the exact facts it supports.
-
1
Motor Sport, October 1930 – Veteran Types Level C
- 1 Individual car: Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang II, the surviving one of the two Maybach-engined Chittys
-
2
Chitty Bang Bang Level C British Motor Manufacturers 1894-1960
- Chitty II, the only surviving car
- 18,882 cc 230 hp Benz BZ IV aero engine
- 6 Cyl 18882cc
- 18,882 cc
- shorter wheelbase ... also based on a Mercedes chassis
-
3
What Would Bond, James Bond, Drive? Level C Dennis Simanaitis · Road & Track · 2011-08-07
- Chitty II's Benz engine displaced "only" 18,882 cc
- These chain-drive giants
- These chain-drive giants pounded around the famed Brooklands circuit
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