In The Love Bug, the sentient white Volkswagen Beetle that races for Jim Douglas is Herbie.
Herbie is a 1963 Volkswagen Beetle with racing number 53. The car appears to have a mind of its own and helps the down-on-his-luck driver Jim Douglas compete against the arrogant racer Peter Thorndyke.
The 1968 Disney film is based on Gordon Buford’s 1961 novel Car, Boy, Girl. Herbie’s personality is expressed through movement, sound, and independent actions rather than spoken dialogue. The car became the central character of several sequels, television productions, and the 2005 film Herbie: Fully Loaded.
Herbie is commonly grouped with movie robots because he is an autonomous machine with a distinct personality, although he is a magical sentient automobile rather than a humanoid robot. His number 53 and red, white, and blue racing stripes are among his most recognizable visual features.