ONE of the most famous cars in the world arrives in the North-East this week.

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, the star of the hit musical film, wings its way to the Gateshead MetroCentre tomorrow.

Shoppers will have a chance to see the car and meet the vehicle's owner, who worked on the 1967 movie.

It is coming to the region as part of a national tour organised by the DVLA to celebrate 100 years of vehicle licensing and registration in Britain.

A DVLA spokesman said: "We are always looking at new ways to reach the public with messages on the importance of taxing and registering vehicles to help reduce crime and improve road safety.

"We've used famous cars in the past to help us achieve this aim so we're delighted to have been able to bring such a high profile car like Chitty to the North-East for this centenary celebration."

The vehicle weighs about two tons, is 17ft long and was built on a custom-made ladder frame chassis by the Ford racing team.

It was originally registered with Ian Fleming's invented number plate - GEN 11, reading as genii or magical being, so that it could be used in road driving sequences, The UK registration system would not allow the more familiar British spelling of genie.

Chitty's owner, Pierre Picton, was responsible for maintaining the car during production and for some driving sequences.

When filming was completed, he travelled with the car as it toured the world to promote the movie and later bought the vehicle, along with the GEN11 number plate.