Behind the Wheel: 1965 Volkswagen Beetle is ‘a Herbie the Love Bug tribute car’

CLINTON TOWNSHIP — Lynn Anderson was a child in the late 1960s when her mom and dad took her to the Bel-Air Drive-In Theater in Detroit to see “The Love Bug.”

The movie starred Dean Jones, Michelle Lee and a Volkswagen Beetle named Herbie that captured Anderson’s heart.

“He’s so cool,” she thought of the vehicle adorned with the No. 53, which according to legend, paid homage to Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Don Drysdale. “Everyone has memories of the movie.”

Several film sequels followed over the years, sealing Anderson as a forever fan of Herbie. Anderson loved the car so much she bought her very own 1965 Volkswagen Beetle she “found in a barn in Dundee.” The Clinton Township resident refers to her find as “a Herbie the Love Bug tribute car.”

“There are hundreds of us throughout the country,” Anderson said.

Anderson’s Volkswagen Beetle is complete with the No. 53 on it. The Herbie purist added a personal touch by displaying a photo of Jones and Lee on the rear of the car, and the front license plate reads “OFP 857.” According to Anderson’s research, OFP 857 stands for “Our First Production 8-57,” which recognizes the month and year “The Love Bug” director Robert Stevenson began working for Disney.

Anderson’s vintage vehicle was among the classic cars present for the car show June 18 at Eastpointe High School during the 23rd annual Cruisin’ Gratiot in Eastpointe. Dressed in flower-patterned pants, an orange and pink shirt, pink shoes, a white hat and sunglasses, Anderson and her husband, Vince Anderson, hung out with the spectators, many of them taking photos of Herbie.

“This is fun,” Anderson said. “This is a celebration of our heyday.”

Anderson drives her Beetle to different events such as the Woodward Dream Cruise, the Shorewood Kiwanis Harper Charity Cruise in St. Clair Shores, and the Marysville Hot Wheels Weekend. She recently drove the car at the Daytona Speedway in Daytona, Florida, where she waved a black-and-white checkered flag.

“There were 60 Herbies on the track,” the Herbie buff said. “What an absolute thrill. It doesn’t get any better than driving your dream car.”

But watch out if you spot her on the road, because Anderson’s Love Bug has a gadget that can squirt water. The Denby High School student who grew up in Detroit used to cruise Gratiot Avenue in the 1970s.

“Our cruise was from Houston Whittier (in Detroit) up to Eight Mile Road,” Anderson, 65, said. “After high school we started going more north.”

During her cruising days, Anderson drove a 1966 Buick Special Deluxe with a V-6 engine.

“I bought it from my grandma for $300 and sold it for $300,” Anderson said. “It was seafoam green. It was a nice ride. I had it for five years.”

When cruising the avenue, she and her pals stopped at different fast food restaurants or Carmen’s East to munch on hamburgers, pizza and french fries. As a teenager, she worked at Village Green East, located at Lappin Street and Gratiot Avenue in Detroit. The boutique was another spot to stop and meet up with friends or make new ones.

“That was our social media,” Anderson said. “This is the way we met guys, and we hung out with friends. What a treat it was to go cruising together.”

Playing tunes was just as important as the cars.

“We had the best music. When you bought your car, you’d go to Haney’s to get a new stereo and then we were ready to cruise,” Anderson said. “FM (radio) was just starting to come in.”

Anderson had an eight-track tape player too, to play her favorite artists.

“Bob Seger, lots of Ted Nugent, Rolling Stones, and Emerson, Lake and Palmer. I wore out three eight-tracks of Carole King’s ‘Tapestry,’” she said. “I listened to a lot of Motown, and I loved Al Green. I still have some of the tapes.”

Anderson remembers the simpler days of buying a new car right at the dealership.

“In the ’70s, you could drive a car right off the lot,” Anderson said. “You’d buy a car and you’re ready to roll.”

Anderson is a fashion curator and runs the “Fashion and the Automobile” vintage fashion show and touring exhibit that highlights the relationship between fashion and the automotive industry.

Her shows include “Fashion Through the Decades: What’s Old is New Again,” “Fashions of Downton Abbey,” “The Little Black Dress” and “Crinolines and Classics: Those Fabulous Fifties.”

For more information, visit fashionandtheautomobile.com.

Do you own a vehicle with an interesting history? For a chance to be in an upcoming edition of our Behind the Wheel feature, email Staff Writer Maria Allard at allard@candgnews.com.