# The Love Bug **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 13, 2005, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-love-bug/303689 "2005-05-13T15:23:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2005, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-love-bug/303689/1 "2005-05-13T15:23:57Z")
I watched _The Love Bug_ last night, which I haven’t seen since I was a kid. Aw, Herbie is so _cute!_ They never called Herbie a VW. I only remember hearing it referred to as a ‘Bug’ once (maybe twice). Instead, Herbie was ‘The Little Car’. It struck me to wonder, in these litigious times, if the film inspired people to attempt the impossible stunts they saw in it with their own VWs. I mean, it would be quite dangerous to take curves at high speed in one. I can imagine some yutz seeing the film today, and wrecking his Bug. ‘But it took the curve at top speed in the movie!’ ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2005, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-love-bug/303689/2 "2005-05-13T16:44:36Z")
Oh – Does anyone know what kind of car the Thorndike Special was? ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2005, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-love-bug/303689/3 "2005-05-13T16:50:27Z")
Can you link to a pic of the Thorndike Special? ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2005, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-love-bug/303689/4 "2005-05-13T16:56:58Z")
> [@Scumpup](#): > > Can you link to a pic of the Thorndike Special? :smack: No _wonder_ I couldn’t find it! I spelled ‘Thornd **y** ke’ wrong! Spelling it correctly, [I found this](http://www.clubvw.org.au/love_bug.htm) > [@](#): > > The yellow “Thorndyke Special” “Over 400 cubes, dual quads, all synchro box, 0-60 in under 5,” according to Jim Douglas, was in fact a Buick Apollo, and actually had a 3.5 litre all alloy V8 that was a Rover V8 forerunner." ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2005, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-love-bug/303689/5 "2005-05-13T16:59:09Z")
[Here’s a photo](http://www.barrett-jackson.com/events/scottsdale/vehicles/cardetail_list.asp?id=175170). ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2005, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-love-bug/303689/6 "2005-05-13T17:04:10Z")
There were, however, later _Herbie_ movies in which the demonically-posessed car is, in fact, referred to as a “Volkswagen”. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2005, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-love-bug/303689/7 "2005-05-13T18:01:12Z")
> [@tracer](#): > > There were, however, later _Herbie_ movies in which the demonically-posessed car is, in fact, referred to as a “Volkswagen”. I’ve always thought that Herbie was possessed by Hitler’s ghost. Only the Parkinson’s left him too zoned out to commit evil, except in the middle of races, in which he tried to _kill_, not _save_, Buddy Hackett. Of course, given that it _was_ Buddy Hackett, I really can’t _blame_ Hitler too much… ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2005, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-love-bug/303689/8 "2005-05-13T18:16:24Z")
You know there’s a new Herbie movie coming, right? I saw a trailer. Herbie is a new WV Beetle, all souped-up with a spoiler, and it will probably have bouncing hydraulics and 24-inch rims and a boomin’ sound system to make everyone do the boogie-dance. And Lindsay Lohan is the new driver. Yikes. ---
**Author:** ![Fiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e274bd/32.png) [@Fiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiver)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2005, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-love-bug/303689/9 "2005-05-13T19:18:36Z")
> [@Big Bad Voodoo Lou](#): > > Herbie is a new WV Beetle, That’s incorrect. Herbie is the same “classic” Beetle he’s always been. One of the jokes in the trailer depends on this fact; Herbie sees a yellow “new” Beetle and makes a noise or flashes his lights or something, and Lindsay Lohan tells him, “She’s too young for you.” ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2005, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-love-bug/303689/10 "2005-05-13T19:36:31Z")
> [@Fiver](#): > > That’s incorrect. Herbie is the same “classic” Beetle he’s always been. One of the jokes in the trailer depends on this fact; Herbie sees a yellow “new” Beetle and makes a noise or flashes his lights or something, and Lindsay Lohan tells him, “She’s too young for you.” Oh, I stand corrected. Probably was too busy ogling Ms Lohan. ---
**Author:** ![Fiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e274bd/32.png) [@Fiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiver)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2005, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-love-bug/303689/11 "2005-05-18T15:36:09Z")
> [@Big Bad Voodoo Lou](#): > > Oh, I stand corrected. Probably was too busy ogling Ms Lohan. And that’s entirely forgivable. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2005, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-love-bug/303689/12 "2005-05-18T16:36:22Z")
> [@Big Bad Voodoo Lou](#): > > Oh, I stand corrected. Probably was too busy ogling Ms Lohan. And she’s too young for you. I’ve never seen a Herbie film or if I did I don’t remember it. ---
**Author:** ![MacTech](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MacTech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacTech)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2005, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-love-bug/303689/13 "2005-05-18T16:56:45Z")
i know i’m not in the target market for this film (too old), but the biggest problem i had was that they “riced” Herbie out, putting all sorts of useless, meaningless bodywork on him and _making him look like a race car_ yes, Herbie _is_ in fact a racing beetle (contradiction in terms? 😉 ), but part of the charm of the original Herbie is that he _looked_ like a mostly stock Bug (albeit with a racing stripe and number paint job), he _looked_ completely normal (and slow) there’s no way he could intimidate other racers based on his looks Herbie was (and always _should_ be) a sleeper, the opposing racers should look at him and see “just a Bug, we can beat it easily, he’s toast”, so when Herbie suddenly ends up miles ahead of the other racers, their first reaction should be WTF?! did i just get _stomped_ by a Volkswagen Bug?!? by putting the useless cosmetic frippery on him, they destroy the sleeper look ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2005, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-love-bug/303689/14 "2005-05-18T17:46:44Z")
> [@MacTech](#): > > by putting the useless cosmetic frippery on him, they destroy the sleeper look Or they were complying with NASCAR’s rules. Well, at least the target audience’s understanding of such rules. ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2005, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-love-bug/303689/15 "2005-05-18T20:48:43Z")
> [@MacTech](#): > > i know i’m not in the target market for this film (too old), but the biggest problem i had was that they “riced” Herbie out, putting all sorts of useless, meaningless bodywork on him and _making him look like a race car_ Huh? I don’t recall seeing any changes to Herbie in the trailer, other than a brief scene where he’s doing the curbside shock-bounce that the kids today are fond of. But then, I could have been distracted by Ms. Lohan’s bodywork… 🆒 (Anyone else saw Lindsay Lohan’s picture promoting the movie in **Newsweek** a week ago? With the license plate on her rear? **yowch!** 😃 ) ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2005, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-love-bug/303689/16 "2005-05-18T20:52:37Z")
> [@rjung](#): > > Huh? I don’t recall seeing any changes to Herbie in the trailer, other than a brief scene where he’s doing the curbside shock-bounce that the kids today are fond of. The rear end made up to look like a Porsche 935. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2005, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-love-bug/303689/17 "2005-05-18T20:58:28Z")
[Porsche 935](http://www.porsche917.com.ar/Z935_07Kein.jpg) [New Herbie](http://www.greenartman.com/images/herbie.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-love-bug/303689/18 "2005-05-19T02:53:41Z")
> [@rjung](#): > > (Anyone else saw Lindsay Lohan’s picture promoting the movie in **Newsweek** a week ago? With the license plate on her rear? **yowch!** 😃 ) > [@Lute Skywatcher](#): > > The rear end made up to look like a Porsche 935. Lohan’s rear looks like a Porsche 935? 😃