An original 1935 London Taxi which was used in a film starring the sizzling 60s French movie siren Brigitte Bardot took centre stage again.
This time the historic taxi had a starring role at the Ifor Williams Trailers stand at the three-day Goodwood Revival Festival in Chichester.
The festival has been held at the Goodwood Circuit since 1998 for the types of road racing cars and motorcycle that would have competed during the circuit’s original period, from 1948 to 1966.
The team from Ifor Williams Trailers entered into the spirit of the occasion by dressing up in period costume, along with Mark Betts from local distributors Universal Trailers.
Mark, who has been distributor for three decades, secured the pristine 1935 Austin Heavy 12 London taxi which was shown on an Ifor Williams CT136 trailer.
According to Mark, the fact the taxi was used in the 1959 Brigitte Bardot movie, Babette Goes to War, had festival visitors all wanting a selfie with the classic automobile.
He said: “We had an amazing three days and it has been incredibly busy. Richard Hone, Ifor Williams Trailers’ Deeside Sales Manager and Business Development Manager, Peter Nesbitt, came down and spent the full three days at the festival.
“The festival itself was really busy with a huge number of European visitors, particularly from Holland and Belgium, enjoying the event. We had so much interest especially with regard to the new covered car transporter.
“The Transporta is a new product and quite frankly the quality shines through. It’s the perfect trailer for motor sport enthusiasts.
“We had a massive amount of interest in the trailer and some very encouraging sales while we directed those from mainland Europe to their own Ifor Williams Trailers’ distributors based in their countries.”
Richard Hone said: “It’s the first time Ifor Williams Trailers have been directly represented at the festival although I understand Mark Betts had a stand some years ago.
“The Transporta certainly stole the show and there was massive interest in it with many people commenting on the sheer quality of the product and its finish.
“The Transporta is a spin-off from our Business in a Box concept and was certainly a big hit with European visitors to the festival.”
He added: “I also enjoyed seeing the classic London taxi on display on one of trailers. It’s amazing to think it was used in a Brigitte Bardot movie and I must admit I did enjoy a little sit in it!”
The comedy, Babette goes to War, was a huge hit in France following its September 1959 release and was the fourth most popular film of the year pulling audiences in excess of 4.5 million cinema goers.
The story tells of beautiful housekeeper Bebette, played by Bardot, who travels to England after the Nazis invade France.
British Intelligence devise a plan to sneak her back into France to use her feminine charms on German officers as a means of gleaning invaluable information.
However, Babette is somewhat naïve making her less than ideal when it comes to matters of national security.
Business Development Manager Peter Nesbitt: “The Goodwood Revival Festival was a very successful event for us and it wasn’t just the old London taxi that drew admiring glances.
“Our trailers were also a big hit with festival goers and there was a huge amount of interest in our Transporta trailer.”
