FANTASMAGORICAL! The original Chitty Chitty Bang Bang car came to the Eastgate Centre this weekend.

The instantly recognisable vintage vehicle delighted hundreds of children who queued up to see it outside Debenhams on Friday and Saturday.

Pierre Picton owns the car which was the actual vehicle in the popular children’s film.

Mr Picton, 74, has owned “Gen 11” for 37 years. He was Dick Van Dyke’s stunt double in the film and can be seen at the beginning of the movie driving the car in the “big race”.

Pierre, who lives in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, with his wife Suzie, 69, rents the car out for private functions.

He said: “The pleasure Chitty brings to children of all generations is just wonderful. Whenever I take her out to functions or charity events you can see it in their eyes.

“They are amazed and always ask me if she can fly. I always respond that she can, but just not today as she’s a bit tired!

“She can drive and I do take her out on the road sometimes, but you need eyes in the back of your head because other drivers get distracted around her.”

Four years ago Mr Picton met Dick Van Dyke, who plays whacky inventor Caractacus Potts in the film, at a Chitty Chitty Bang Bang reunion in Los Angeles.

“I went up to him and told him how he hadn’t changed a bit since the Sixties. His face is exactly the same. He remembered me and we had a chat, which was nice,” Mr Picton said.

“It was also nice to see the actors who played the children Jemima and Jeremy from the film who are now all grown up of course. We stay in touch and e-mail each other quite a lot for a chat.”

Chitty also shares a link with the Eastgate centre.

Acclaimed British cartoonist Roland Emett, who created the car for the film as well as some of Caractacus Potts’s wacky inventions, also designed the Eastgate Centres’ Cats Cradle and Pussiwillow Clock, which was installed in the complex in 1981.

Mike Horton, Eastgate manager, said: “It’s such a coincidence they were both designed by the same man. We loved having Chitty here.”