Where is the real Herbie car?
Some of these Herbie cars were recycled for Herbie, the Love Bug in 1982. One of the actual film cars used with its flip wheel chassis in the bullfighting scenes now resides in Sydney. Another one was displayed in the Cars of the Stars Motor Museum until its closure in 2011. Since then, its location remains unknown. Herbie, the Love Bug is a fictional sentient 1963 Volkswagen Beetle racing car which has been featured in several Walt Disney motion pictures starting with The Love Bug in 1968.
Why is Herbie number 53?
The punch line of the joke mentioned “I only ski with Herbies. It has been said that The Love Bug’s producer, Bill Walsh, chose the number 53 for Herbie because it was the uniform number of a popular baseball player named Don Drysdale. Herbie’s red, white and blue racing stripes were chosen for a patriotic theme. Herbie, the Love Bug is a fictional sentient 1963 Volkswagen Beetle racing car which 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.
Why is Herbie called Herbie?
Herbie got his name from a Buddy Hackett comedy routine. In his Las Vegas stage show, Hackett joked about a snow bunny who only dates guys named Herbie. Herbie’s number 53 came from baseball player Don Drysdale of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Producer Bill Walsh was a fan, and used his jersey number on Herbie. 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.