Herbie in Hempfield: Local builds his own 'love bug'

When Eric Hartman was 5 years old, he watched Herbie star in Disney’s “The Love Bug” — and it was love at first sight.

“I saw the movie … and that was it,” Hartman said. “I wanted one ever since.”

Now, Hartman does have his own “love bug.” The Hempfield resident rebuilt a 1963 Volkswagen Deluxe Ragtop Beetle to look just like the fictional race car.

Hartman’s Herbie, which he finished rebuilding in March, has already made locals smile, honk and point as Hartman rides around in his prized vehicle.

It even made waves in Florida, where Hartman and his family drove the car to attend the “Herbie’s 53rd Celebration” car show at Daytona Beach. Hartman’s remake won first prize in its category.

“Lots of blood, sweat and tears went into the car,” he said. He owns two other vintage Beetles and a Volkswagen Bus.

Hartman’s Herbie is specifically a remake of the “Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo” Beetle, which is distinctive for its fog light that filmmakers used to hide a camera. A fake diamond is also hidden in the car’s gas cap as a callback to the movie’s plot.

Hartman bought the car in Maryland, though it was originally from New Jersey. It arrived in his garage with rust, teal paint and 39,000 miles on it.

He spent one year disassembling the car and three years putting it back together. He documented the process on a Facebook page.

As an IT worker, Hartman learned about car mechanics from “the YouTube school of automechanics.”

“It is a really fun hobby,” he said.

He painted the car twice. Herbie’s famed stripes and number 53 are stickers that Hartman carefully placed on the vehicle.

The only part of the 50-horsepower car that hasn’t been rebuilt is its transmission, Hartman said. It drives “beautifully” and economically, getting 42 miles to the gallon.

Shortly after finishing the car, Hartman and his family put its durability to the test when they drove it to Daytona for the car show in late March.

Despite driving through a “monsoon,” Herbie made it with no trouble at all.

Primarily attended by other Herbie remakes and vintage Volkwagens, the Herbie car show celebrated the 53rd anniversary of “The Love Bug,” which was released in March 1969.

Attendees competed in the car show, drove on the beach and even did laps around the Daytona International Speedway during the four-day event.

Ironically, exactly 53 Herbie remakes attended the event, according to organizer Gail Love.

Love, from Clermont, Fla., believes it was the largest gathering of Herbie remakes ever. Even people from Canada and Europe participated.

Love, who made his own Herbie in 1997, estimates there are between 150 and 200 remakes of the car in the world.

“When the people come together, they really have so much in common when it comes to this little car,” Love said. “It’s an event we’ll remember for the rest of our lives.”