Dick Van Dyke 'Blown Away' to Receive Replica of “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” Car (Exclusive)
- - Dick Van Dyke 'Blown Away' to Receive Replica of “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” Car (Exclusive)
Virginia Chamlee, Abby SternFebruary 10, 2026 at 9:10 PM
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Dick Van Dyke (left), Chitty Chitty Bang Bang replica car
Monty Brinton/CBS via Getty; Laura Johansen, Alaura Imagery & Design
Dick Van Dyke received a nostalgic surprise for his recent birthday: a hand-built replica of the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang car
Speaking to POEPLE in an exclusive interview, his wife Arlene says the prolific actor was "blown away"
The 1968 film, based on Ian Fleming’s book of the same name, stars Van Dyke as Caractacus Potts, a quirky widowed inventor
Hollywood legend Dick Van Dyke received a nostalgic surprise for his 100th birthday: a replica of the car featured in the timeless children’s classic, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
Van Dyke’s wife, Arlene Silver, tells PEOPLE that the car is "a stage replica" that came to them by way of "a friend of a friend," Michael Mulligan.
"He played Caractacus Potts [the character Van Dyke played in the film] in a stage version of Chitty Bang Bang, and he built that car," Arlene, 54, tells PEOPLE.
The 1968 film, based on Ian Fleming’s book of the same name, stars Van Dyke as Potts, a quirky widowed inventor caring for his two children, Jeremy and Jemima. When the kids persuade Potts to rescue an old racing car from the scrap yard, he turns it into a vehicle that can transform into a boat and an airship, which they name “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” for the noises it makes.
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Chitty Chitty Bang Bang replica car
Laura Johansen, Alaura Imagery & Design
During the extensive celebrations of Van Dyke's 100th birthday in December, Silver mentioned that she "wanted to have as many Chitty Bang Bangs in one spot as possible" for the festivities.
So Mulligan brought his own hand-built version of the car to Van Dyke's birthday party.
"It was just like a symbol of him, Dick, whether he's there or not," Silver says, likening the vehicle to the Star Wars Millennium Falcon. "It just pulls on the heart strings, makes middle-aged men cry. So after the birthday [Michael] thought, 'Well, no better place to have it than at our house in Temecula.'"
Dick Van Dyke, Heather Ripley, Adrian Hall and Sally Ann Howes sit waving from their seats in the car, in a publicity portrait issued for the film , Chitty Chitty Bang Bang', 1968
Silver Screen Collection/Getty
Silver adds that her husband — who celebrated his 100th birthday on Dec. 13, 2025 — was "blown away" seeing the car.
She adds that she's unsure where the car will wind up next — noting "I would keep it forever" if space allowed.
the replica car
Laura Johansen, Alaura Imagery & Design
She says it's also been fun seeing the reaction from neighbors and passerby.
"I just love having it in our driveway because [you'll hear], 'Oh my God, is that a Chitty Bang Bang?' You know, people just walking by... whether you know Dick lives there or not," Silver says, adding that she hopes to one day open a Dick Van Dyke museum, which the car could potentially be a part of.
"You know, it's just better here than anywhere else," she says.
the replica car
Laura Johansen, Alaura Imagery & Design
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
