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The Love Bug
Jim Douglas, once a prominent race car driver, is now relegated to participating in demolition derbies. Residing in a converted firehouse overlooking San Francisco Bay, Jim lives with his friend Tennessee Steinmetz, an eccentric mechanic and sculptor whose artistic creations repurpose discarded automobile components.
Jim’s fortunes shift when he visits a European car dealership, where he encounters Carole Bennett, a mechanic and sales associate, as well as Peter Thorndyke, the British proprietor of the establishment. During this visit, Jim notices a peculiar Volkswagen Beetle —a vehicle Thorndyke openly abuses after it is returned to the showroom under mysterious circumstances. Lacking the financial means to procure a vehicle, Jim departs, only to find that the Beetle follows him home. This leads to a police intervention on charges of grand theft, forcing Jim to reluctantly agree to a lease-purchase arrangement for the car.
Initially, Jim is frustrated with the Beetle, whose idiosyncratic behaviour includes avoiding highways and orchestrating encounters with Carole, suspecting Thorndyke of duping him with a malfunctioning vehicle. Tennessee discerns that the car possesses sentience although Jim sceptically dismisses Tennessee's claims. Endearing himself to the Beetle, Tennessee christens the car "Herbie".
Jim decides to enter Herbie into racing, giving the car racing stripes and adding the number '53'. In their debut race, Herbie delivers an unexpected victory, much to Thorndyke's surprise and Carole's delight. Thorndyke then offers the clear the payments in exchange to sell Herbie back to him. Jim is forced to compete directly with Thorndyke at Riverside, Herbie scores another impressive victory, overtaking his rival at the finish line. Jim, Tennessee, and Herbie becoming the talk of the California racing circuit, while once-champion Thorndyke suffers increasingly humiliating defeats. Desperate to discover the secret of Herbie's success, Thorndyke, on the eve of another important race, convinces Carole to take Jim for a ride in the best car in the showroom (an Apollo GT), then sneaks into his rival's house, gets Tennessee drunk on his own Irish coffee, and sabotages Herbie's performance in the race by pouring it into Herbie's gas tank. Disillusioned, Jim decides to replace Herbie with a new Lamborghini, a decision that alienates Carole who had just quit her promising job alongside Thorndyke (learning of his sabotage scheme), and Tennessee.
Feeling betrayed, Herbie reacts by vandalizing the Lamborghini and fleeing. After narrowly escaping being torn apart in Thorndyke's workshop, his escapades culminate in an attempt to throw himself from the Golden Gate Bridge, prompting Jim to intervene. At the police station, Tang Wu, a racing enthusiast and local businessman whose property Herbie also damaged, agrees to an offer from Jim to drop charges in exchange for ownership of Herbie on condition that Jim and Tennessee may race Herbie in the prestigious El Dorado Road race, with the agreement that if Jim wins the race, Mr. Wu will sell Herbie back to him for one dollar.
The El Dorado race, a two-day event traversing the Sierra Nevada, becomes the stage for Thorndyke's underhanded tactics. Despite these obstacles, Jim, Carole, and Tennessee persevere, although the first leg of the race leaves Herbie in a battered state, limping across the finish line using a makeshift wagon wheel. Overnight, Herbie refuses to start, and Jim admits to Mr. Wu that Herbie is in no condition to continue the race. Thorndyke suddenly appears, revealing that he made a separate bet with Mr. Wu that should Herbie drop out of the race, Thorndyke would take possession of Herbie and have him crushed. After Thorndyke assaults Jim, Herbie restarts, chasing Thorndyke away.
On the second leg, Herbie overcomes numerous challenges to close the gap on Thorndyke and take the lead heading into the final stages of the race. As they near the finish line, Herbie splits in two due to mechanical strain, his rear half, carrying Tennessee and the engine, crossing the finish line first, while his front half, with Jim and Carole aboard, follows closely, securing both first and third place.
Wu assumes control of Thorndyke's dealership, appoints Tennessee as his assistant, and relegates Thorndyke to the mechanics' workshop alongside his accomplice Havershaw. Rebuilt, Herbie serves as the wedding vehicle for Jim and Carole's departure, whisking the newlyweds away on their honeymoon.