TAIT in Haverhill welcomes back Chitty Chitty Bang Bang for a tune-up ahead of major tour

An old four-fendered friend was welcomed back to Haverhill as the famous flying car, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, returned to the UK for a pre-flight tune-up for a new production of the musical.

It recently spent time at TAIT, which provided stagecraft ingenuity to enable the car to soar above the stage while the Potts family and Truly Scrumptious are on board, with work being carried out at its live entertainment engineering facility.

The company is a global leader in live events and experiences through cutting-edge technology, precision engineering and creative design.

TAIT originally gave the car the gift of flight for the show’s first run at the London Palladium in 2002 and on subsequent tours.

Engineers who worked on the original production were delighted to see the years had not diluted the magic for Chitty, and she still flies gracefully.

Matt Stott, who worked on the original and is now TAIT’s technical lead, said: “Our team in Haverhill has a long track record in the West End but it's unusual for us to get to revisit the same show after such a long time.

”Having Chitty back in our workshop for a tune-up has been a great pleasure and we are sure that the current generation of audiences will be just as amazed by the flying car as those that saw her in the past.”

Ted Moore, TAIT director of business development, said: “Many of the West End's most remarkable set pieces and stage magic had their origins in Haverhill, and we're proud to still be bringing the magic to Chitty for a new generation of audiences, alongside our work on global spectaculars.”

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is now on an extended UK and Ireland tour.