The Love Bug has conquered the hearts of fans of all ages ever since Herbie, the adorable Volkswagen Beetle, first rolled across the screen in 1969. In all the best racing movies, the cars featured in them are destined to become real stars, and Herbie is certainly one of them.

Produced by Disney and directed by Robert Stevenson in 1969, the first film follows a down-on-his-luck race car driver, Jim Douglas, and his adventures with an uncommonly reactive and lively Volkswagen Beetle. Here are 8 things you probably forgot about Herbie.

Related: A Detailed Look Back At The First Year Of The Volkswagen Beetle

8 The Love Bug Started Its Engines With Walt Disney Himself

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Listed as one of the leading filmmakers of the 20th century and recognized as one of the fathers of animated films, Walt Disney has proved to be a genius when it comes to capturing the world's attention. One of the last of his outside-the-box ideas was Herbie.

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The Love Bug', in fact, was the final live-action film authorized for production by Walt Disney himself. The initiator of Disneyland died in 1966, a couple of years before The Love Bug would be released. He'd never know how strong the impact of Herbie would be.

7 Herbie's Real Nature

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Although many units of VW Beetles were used when filming, the "classic" Herbie was a 1963 Volkswagen Beetle Model 117 Deluxe Sunroof Sedan. The vehicle had the possibility of rolling back the roof to enjoy summer rides.

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Herbie was painted in Volkswagen L87 pearl white and the interior would be white, but for the film, they painted it gray so that it would not reflect studio lights. In the sequel, both 1963 and 1966 model Beetles were used, which you can spot by the varying size of the rear window.

6 Herbie Is Never referred To As A VW In The First Film

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As the fans of the Love Bug try to recall to their memory the first film, they would find hard to remember an occasion in which Herbie is referred to as a Volkswagen Beetle. In fact, it is not. Herbie is variously called "the Douglas Special," "the little car" and "the compact car." Also, all the Volkswagen branding had been removed from the car.

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The VW Beetle was already a super successful car, and certainly it did not need further presentation. As a matter of fact, the Beetle is one of the most commercialized cars, presenting an unbelievable production. However, for the sequel, VW was onboard to help promote the film, and for sure, this contributed to give the car more prestige.

Related: 10 Most Expensive Beetles Ever Sold At Auction

5 The Reason Why Herbie Features #53

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The number 53 could play a trick on some people's minds since the production of the Beetle started in 1938, someone might think that Herbie is a 1953 model. And actually, except for some minor facelifts, the 1953 Beetle didn't differ so much from the 1963's. But the number 53 has nothing to do with the Love Bug's birth year.

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Herbie wears the number 53 because of Dodger star Don Drysdale. The producer of The Love Bug, Bill Walsh, came up with the blue and red racing stripes and gave the lovable car No. 53 in honor of one of his favorite ballplayers.

4 The Strange Case Of The Diving Herbie

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We have lost count of all those beautiful cars that have tragically ended their movie careers driving their last yards into a wall, or off a cliff. One of the vehicles that portrayed Herbie was dropped off a ship and went for a no-return swim.

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The VW dropped in the ocean during the filming of 'Herbie Goes Bananas' was never recovered. Right now, somewhere at the bottom of the sea, sits a pearl white Beetle covered with seaweed, plankton, and filled by fish.

Related: 10 Craziest Car And Motorcycle Stunts We've Seen In Movies

3 Herbie’s First Stunt Driver

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We have seen Herbie doing impossible things. The era of modern special effects and digital filming was very distant at that time, and the true stars of those epic scenes are the stuntmen.

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Herbie’s first stunt driver was Carey Loftin, a veteran stunt driver who featured in a number of other Hollywood films. To mention some of the movies he starred, Loftin contributed to Bullitt, Vanishing Point, Some Like it Hot, Maximum Overdrive, Smokey and the Bandit I and II, The Great Race, The Goonies, and The Getaway.

2 Possibly Packed With a Bus Engine

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Over the years we've grown accustomed to the idea of modified cars, and of course, the greatly commercialized VW Beetle has been subjected to this trend. Sometimes only improved in performance, there are also some major modifications that have been done, like this example of a V8 packing Beetle.

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In the films, to best portray Herbie’s astounding ability to outrace the big race cars, the lively and responsive little VW was given a powerful bus engine, effectively giving the little Love Bug a much bigger heart.

1 More Steroids For Herbie: The Porsche Engine

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For some scenes, Herbie was packing with a bigger Porsche engine that made it capable of reaching 90mph in third gear and 115mph top speed. Herbie's performance was further with Porsche brakes, Koni shocks, and wide wheels with race tires. In total, 21 VW Beetles were used, each tricked out to perform different onscreen stunts.

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Due to the breathtaking race sequences, the pumped-up Beetles did not live happily ever after though. However, thanks to their sacrifice, Herbie will always be remembered by movie fans and car enthusiasts from all over the world.

Next: We Can't Stop Staring At These Awesomely Modified Classic VW Beetles