The story follows the Pott family—Commander Caractacus Pott, an eccentric inventor; his wife Mimsie; and their twins Jeremy and Jemima—who acquire a derelict “Paragon Panther” touring car from a scrap heap. Restored by Commander Pott, the car proves to be magical and sentient, with the ability to fly, transform into a hovercraft, and act on its own initiative.
The family’s adventures begin when Chitty sprouts wings to escape a traffic jam, flying them to a sandbar in the English Channel for a picnic. After the rising tide nearly drowns them, Chitty ferries them across the water to France, where they stumble upon a gang of gun-runners’ cave hideout near Calais. The Potts destroy the criminals’ arms cache, prompting the gangsters—led by Joe the Monster and Man-Mountain Fink—to retaliate by kidnapping the twins as part of a wider plot to rob a famous Parisian chocolatier. Chitty helps the family outwit them and rescue the children.
Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang was Fleming’s only children’s book, written as bedtime stories for his son, Caspar, while convalescing from a heart attack. Fleming died two months before its publication. The book was later adapted into the beloved 1968 musical film of the same name, though the film diverges considerably from the novel.
• Title: Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang
• Author: Ian Fleming
• Type: Book
• Publisher: Jonathan Cape
• Publication time: October 22, 1964
• Publication place: United Kingdom