Three-quarters view of Herbie (H2), built by EMPI Racing of California, for the racing scenes of Walt Disney's film "The Love Bug".
H2 WAS BUILT FOR THE RACE SCENES HE WAS EQUIPPED WITH SOME PERFORMANCE UPGRADES SUCH AS PORSCHE FINNED BRAKES ALL ROUND, KONI SHOCK ABSORBERS ALL ROUND, SUPERIOR REAR CONTROL ARMS ( DIAGONAL ARMS) , AN UPRATED FRONT ANTI ROLL BAR AND HES EASILY IDENTIFIABLE BY HIS ROUNDED ROLL BAR GUSSET ON THE DRIVERS SIDE. DISNEY PURCHASED SOME CARS FROM FAMED VW TUNING SHOP EMPI AT RIVERSIDE, CALIFORNIA. THESE CARS WERE EITHER CRASHED WRECKS OR CARS OFF THEIR USED CAR LOT. H2 IS A 1963 RAGTOP CAR FROM THE WINDSCREEN BACKWARDS AND THE FRONT END IS A 1960 ! A SYMPATHETIC RESTORATION BY A PREVIOUS KEEPER WAS CARRIED OUT IN A WAY TO ALLOW THESE “ CUT & SHUT JOINS” TO BE VISIBLE. WHEN DEAN JONES AND BUDDY HACKETT SPIN YARNS ABOUT DRIVING AROUND IN THE PORSCHE POWERED HERBIE, IT IS THIS CAR THEY ARE REFERRING TO. ONE THING IS FOR SURE – HE IS TRULY A “LOVED BUG” The Love Bug (sometimes referred to as Herbie the Love Bug) is a 1968 American comedy film directed by Robert Stevenson and the first in a series of films made by Walt Disney Productions and distributed by Buena Vista Distribution that starred an anthropomorphic pearl-white, fabric-sunroofed 1963 Volkswagen racing Beetle named Herbie. It was based on the 1961 book Car, Boy, Girl by Gordon Buford. The movie follows the adventures of Herbie, Herbie's driver, Jim Douglas (Dean Jones), and Jim's love interest, Carole Bennett (Michele Lee). It also features Buddy Hackett as Jim's enlightened, kind-hearted friend, Tennessee Steinmetz, a character who creates "art" from used car parts. English actor David Tomlinson portrays the villainous Peter Thorndyke, the owner of an auto showroom and an SCCA national champion who sells Herbie to Jim and eventually becomes his racing rival
Size: 4706px × 3568px
Location: Syon Park, Brentford, Middx TW8 8JF
Photo credit: © John Gaffen / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: -quarters, 53, 1963, 2021, action, beetle, bug, california, car, classic, comedy, disney, empi, engined, fence, film, front, grass, headlights, herbie, live, london, love, park, porsche, productions, race, racing, scenes, show, summer, syon, trees, version, view, volkswagen, walt