Herbie

Herbie, the Love Bug is a fictional sentient 1963 Volkswagen Beetle racing car that has been featured in several Walt Disney motion pictures starting with The Love Bug in 1968. He has a mind of his own, being capable of driving himself and often becoming a serious contender in auto racing. Throughout most of the films he is distinguished by red, white, and blue racing stripes from the front to the back bumper, a pearl white body, a racing-style number "53" on the front luggage compartment lid, doors, engine lid, and a yellow-on-black 1963 California license plate with the registration "OFP 857".

== Fictional character biography == In The Love Bug (1968), Herbie is bought from the showroom of Peter Thorndyke (David Tomlinson) by San Francisco socialite Mrs. Van Luit for her upstairs maid, but is returned shortly afterward due to reliability problems. Race car driver Jim Douglas (Dean Jones) purchases the car after he is accused of stealing it. Tennessee Steinmetz (Buddy Hackett), Jim's best friend, a mechanic and his housemate, names the car "Herbie" after his uncle, a middleweight boxer whose nose was shaped like the hood of a Volkswagen Beetle. Jim notices the car's unnatural performance levels and decides to go racing with Herbie, to great success. In addition, Jim pursues a romantic relationship with Carole Bennett (Michele Lee), an assistant in Thorndyke's showroom. Carole eventually sides with Jim, Tennessee, and Herbie for the final El Dorado road race. After a race-long duel with Thornkdyke, Herbie splits in two approaching the finish, but wins when the rear half (with Tennessee inside) crosses the line first. Fully repaired, Herbie takes the newlywed Jim and Carole on their honeymoon.