This is 1 of only 4 remaining, of the 26 Herbies built for the 1980 movie "Herbie Goes Bananas". Mid America Motorworks owns this Herbie, #18, as well as Spinning Herbie, #20, from the same movie. This movie was shot prior to the widespread use of computer generated special effects. Thus, if Herbie was to perform some unusual feat, a VW Beetle had to be custom modified to actually perform this stunt. This accounts for great variety of Beetles built for this movie.
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.
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 show attendees. The billows of smoke are 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.
This Herbie, as well as Spinning Herbie, was rescued in 2001 from a Colorado wrecking yard, where they were slowly rusting away, exposed to the elements. They were brought back Mid America Motorworks corporate campus and restoration facility in Effingham, IL.
Dennis Gunning, Restoration Specialist for Mid America Motorworks, spent several hundred hours on researching and restoring this Herbie.
This particular Herbie started life as a 1961 European Model Beetle Sunroof Sedan.
Years of neglect and outside storage took its toll on Herbie. Gunning replaced floor pans, window glass and restored the interior to its original movie configuration and color.
This Herbie still carries its movie original exterior paint job. Gunning was able to limit the exterior repair and repaint to a few minor areas. Some of the original decals were still in place. The outlines of missing decals were still present and allowed new decals to be produced and placed in the correct locations. New decals and stripes were properly aged and streaked with mud paint to match the original decals.
The interior parts were originally Volkswagen Ivory in color. The originals were heavily weathered, so Mid America Motorworks 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. Access to the microphone compartments is 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.
Upon completion, Shaking Herbie has traveled to shows and displays around the country. Herbie fans of all ages are delighted to see Herbie just as they remember him from the popular movie. When not on the show circuit, Herbie may be seen at the MY Garage Museum & Retail Store on Mid America Motorworks’ corporate campus in Effingham, IL.
