There are some 60-odd authentic “Herbie” Beetles knocking about. Bookended by the original 1969 flick and the most recent 2005 version, each movie used a fleet of Volkswagen’s most popular model for all sorts of odd scenarios — such as in “Herbie Fully Loaded” where the body is mounted backwards so it appears as if the car has rear wheel steering, and another from “Herbie Goes Bananas” that’s lined with fiberglass to hold water for the pond scene, as well as from “The Love Bug” where the car actually splits in two. Needless to say, most of these cars today aren’t drivable, or have received so much restoration work that the car’s authenticity is now in question. Others have simply been scrapped.
One Bug that has no such issues is Herbie “5916,” featured in both “Herbie Goes To Monte Carlo” and “Herbie Goes Bananas.” Not only is the car roadworthy, but it’s spent years racing on the Sports Car Club of America circuit in the hands of vintage racer Arthur Porter. Now it heads to Barrett Jackson later this month seeking a new owner.