1930 Aston Martin International: Chassis S37!

Another sing along, folks! Oh, you pretty Chitty Bang Bang, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, we love you, and, our, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, loves us too…

Who here doesn’t remember Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, the famous Dick Van Dyke flick from 1968, based on characters created by Ian Fleming (yes the Bond guy) about a washed out inventor who manages to restore a broken down Grand Prix car and fly it off-shore to rescue his grandfather, accompanied by his kids and the Truly Scrumptious Sally Ann Howes?

Well, guess what. Fact definitely is stranger than fiction, as we’re about to discover in this latest classic car owners post, brought to you in collaboration with Car Facts Disc, where Mark Donoghue’s 80-year-old father took up his son’s challenge to fully restore a 1930 Aston Martin “International” Chitty style in time to show it at the Concours of Elegance 2020, where it won the Aston Martin Prize. Wow.

From humble beginnings in 1929 to being disassembled in 1963 and finally making an epic come back in 2020, here’s Chassis S37’s journey to glory.

The looooong, long road to restoration: first spell

The looooong, long road to restoration: The challenge

The looooong, long road to restoration: And voila!

Onwards

It’s incredibly inspiring to see how Mark’s 80-year-old father put this beauty of an International together after it was effectively written off in the 60s.

The lesson here? Next time your 50-something-year-old father complains about creaking joints and old age, show him this article, and those joint pains will vanish A-stat!

This story wouldn’t have been possible without Car Facts Disc. If you’ve got a car with a story worth telling, be it modern or classic, consider getting yourself one!

Until the next time folks.