Ready for My Close-up!
Shaking Herbie was used for several scenes in the movie. First it is dragged from the water, where he revives, shakes off water like a dog, and starts up with a great deal of smoke billowing from the exhaust pipes. Later we see Herbie again in a bullfight scene and in a number of simulated driving scenes.
To perform all the stunts necessary for the film, this VW Beetle was heavily modified by the crew at Walt Disney Studios. Herbie did not have an engine, but instead a 12V DC car battery for a golf cart motor. It was equipped with a vibrating unit, a C02 tank, 1 way valves and 2 hydraulic rams that allowed the front wheels to "cant out."
The interior parts were originally Volkswagen Ivory in color. The originals were heavily weathered when the car was purchased by Mid America Motorworks in 2004, so the Interior Manufacturing Division created new interior trim using the originals as patterns. During the movie production, it was found that the Ivory color was too bright and caused a glare for the cameras. The interior was lightly sprayed with a gray primer to cut the glare. This was re-applied to the restored interior to maintain authenticity.
The seats are unique to the movie Herbies. The upper portion of the seatback contains a cloth grille. These allowed special microphones concealed in the seats to capture the actors' dialog while inside the vehicle. Microphone compartments can be accessed by zippers in the back of the seat covers. The floor pan of this Herbie has an opening that allowed the use of an addition boom microphone for certain scenes.
Shake It Off!
The shaking is produced by a 25 lb. off-center counterweight spinning in the rear engine compartment. The original motor was removed to make room for the shaking device and to lighten the vehicle for increased shaking. The counterweight was spun in the movie by a 12 volt motor and car battery. In order to perform extended shaking sessions at car shows, the 12 volt motor has been upgraded to a 110 volt motor. This allows almost unlimited shaking, much to the delight of thousands of Funfest for Air-Cooled VW attendees. The billows of smoke were produced by a special effects smoke machine similar to those used at rock concerts. This is plumbed through stock style Beetle exhaust tips for a very realistic blast of "engine smoke," on command by wireless remote.
Shaking Herbie, Spinning Herbie and Herbie Fully Loaded are all part of the Yager Family Collection. They will be on display next weekend during Funfest for Air-Cooled VW.