SPREADING THE LOVE...
CLASSIC CAR ENTHUSIAST TAKES HERBIE ORIGINAL ALL OVER BRITAIN INCLUDING TO POORLY BOY IN LEICESTER
A VW Beetle superfan has shelled out thousands to own one of the original Herbie movie cars, which he drives around the UK.
Luke Theochari has had a life-long passion for the beloved Bugs and after purchasing one of the iconic models from the Herbie franchise, he has since travelled all over the country – including a trip to Leicester to share the joy of his Love Bug with a poorly child.
Herbie first drove on to cinema screens in the 1969 film classic, The Love Bug, telling the story of a Volkswagen Beetle with a mind of its own - and captured the heart of the then 10-year-old Luke.
Herbie sported a classic cream paint job with bold red, white and blue racing stripes and has become an icon of cinema history.
Luke dreamed of one day of owning his own Herbie and, 55 years later, that dream became a reality.
Luke purchased his Herbie from an American owner, who shipped it across the Atlantic.
He said: “When I’m driving down the street people shout ‘Herbie! Herbie!,’ but they don’t realise it’s the real car.”
Luke’s Herbie is one of only three cars used in the first movie and was codenamed H2.
It was built specifically for the movie’s race scenes, with a beefedup Porsche 356 engine and loaded with performance upgrades, including Porsche finned brakes on all four wheels, Koni shock absorbers and a suspension system that could handle some serious bends.
Luke, of West London, has been restoring and repairing VW Beetles for almost four decades.
H2 is the centrepiece of his car collection but Luke is keen to share the Love Bug with as many people as possible and it always catches the eye.
He said: “When I park up at the shops people come and look at the car and when I used to go to the cafe in the mornings the workmen – those really hard builders and roofers – would say ‘Hi Herbie!’ and they’d go and talk to the car.”
Apart from trips to the cafe and shops, the 65-year-old also makes special journeys around Britain to bring the joy of Herbie to as many people as possible.
This included a 212-mile round trip to Leicester for a sick three-yearold boy who was a huge Herbie fan.
Luke said: “I had a message from his mum telling me how much he loved the films. The boy had undergone several serious operations and she wondered if I could drive Herbie up to their home.
“So I took Herbie up complete with a kid’s racing outfit for him to wear – similar to what they wore in the first film – and it was a great day.
“My late wife would also take Herbie to the homes of sick kids and give them a ride to help give them a boost and I still take him to weddings to transport brides and grooms around for free.
“I don’t charge because Herbie’s not for hire.”
Luke is tight-lipped about how much he paid for H2 but another model used in the fourth film, Herbie Goes Bananas, sold for £80,000 at an auction in 2015.
His insurers have capped the value of his car at £100,000.
He said: “I’ll never reveal how much I paid because money didn’t come into it. My late wife, Helen, never asked. She wasn’t interested. All she wanted to know was that I was happy.”
Luke’s love for his Bug helped land him a role in a new Volkswagen advert which celebrates genuine VW fans.
His car, which has just short of 85,000 miles on the clock and can cruise all day at 80mph, will be among those to feature in the YourWagen advert.
Luke admits that he is now “getting on a bit”, but his desire to show off the brilliance of Herbie will not stop, even if he is starting to take things slower now.
He said: “I’ve got to an age now where it’s getting harder getting around and doing lots of things.
“The brain wants to, but the body can’t. So I’m slowing down a little bit but I’ll always have a tickle with Herbie and just enjoy driving him.
“It’s nice to make people happy. When you see people smiling as you’re driving down the road it’s a lovely feeling.”