The Love Bug (1968)

The Love Bug (1969), an American sports adventure comedy film directed by Robert Stevenson, tells the story of race car driver Jim Douglas. After being reduced to competing in demolition derby races against younger drivers, Jim lives with his friend Tennessee Steinmetz, a mechanic and sculptor who uses old car parts, in an old fire house overlooking San Francisco Bay. One day at a fancy European car showroom, Jim meets Carole Bennett and the dealership’s owner Peter Thorndyke. Thorndyke is seen mistreating a white Volkswagen Beetle that was recently returned. Due to financial reasons, Jim decides not to purchase a car from Thorndyke but is surprised when the same Beetle follows him home. However, this results in trouble with the police for grand theft and ultimately leads Jim to agree to lease-purchase the little car.

Initially, Jim is displeased with the Beetle’s refusal to take the freeway and later being partnered with Carole. He suspects that Thorndyke has tricked him into purchasing a defective car. However, Tennessee sees the car in a different light and becomes friends with it, giving it the name ‘Herbie’. Jim works to get Herbie ready for racing and surprisingly, Herbie wins its first race. In a showdown at Riverside Raceway, Jim and Herbie defeat Thorndyke himself, earning full ownership of the car. They begin a winning streak that leaves Thorndyke baffled about their success. In an attempt to stop them, Thorndyke sneaks into Tennessee’s garage while Jim and Carol are out on a date and sabotages Herbie by pouring Irish coffee into the gas tank. This causes Herbie to fail to finish the following day’s race.