Pierre Picton, owner of the original Chitty Chitty Bang Bang car, who made the film prop even more famous than the film it starred in, died on November 10 aged 82. He will be well-remembered in Malta, especially by countless Maltese now in their mid-30s who were children when Chitty and its loveable owner came over to the island in the Christmas of 1990. It was the same year Pope John Paul II paid the first Papal visit to Malta. And Christmas was made all the more magical for the children when Picton and the most famous car in the world visited on the invitation of David Arrigo and Ulli Salomo. Mr Arrigo, one of Malta's foremost car aficionados, recalls that time with great affection: "I was indeed fortunate, as probably I drove Chitty on public roads more than anyone else apart from Mr Picton. In the UK she was always taken from location to location by trailer. During Chitty's month in Malta she was driven everywhere." Pedestrians and road users just could not believe their eyes seeing Chitty next to them at the traffic lights or on the Gozo ferry. "On one occasion I spotted a friend at a bus stop in Msida. I offered her a lift to Floriana, much to the disbelief of the rest of...
from timesofmalta.com http://ift.tt/2gvulHc
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