This week The Mirror went for a ride in the real Herbie - one of Volkswagen Beetles used in the 1969 movie The Love Bug, about a sentient race car who forms a bond with driver Jim Douglas, played ...

Fast forward 55 years and dad-of-three Luke is bringing “joy and happiness” to the UK roads with Herbie after buying him from an owner in America - one of only three cars used in the first movie.

Man owns original VW Herbie and travels to Leicester to spread 'Love Bug' joy Luke Theochari has had a life-long passion for VW Beetles and had his dream car shipped in from America leicestermercury ...

The movie car was cosmetically altered, as well, because it was originally a hardtop Horizon Blue 1957 Beetle with a small rear oval window. The roof was converted into a ragtop, and the oval ...

Mirror investigator Lydia Veljanovski tracked down the original car from the 1969 blockbuster to Ealing, west London, where she took him for a spin on his 55th birthday ...

Original VW Herbie Love Bug and Luke Theochari (Image: Volkswagen). The car was transported from Florida to Southampton in a container and then delivered to Luke by transporter, taking six weeks ...

Herbie!’, but they don’t realise it’s the real car. That does make it a bit easier to get around.” READ MORE: Rare 'overlooked' cancer killed teaching assistant one day after diagnosis ...

Luke Theochari, 65, has been a fan of the Volkswagen Beetle since he was a boy and has now spent tens of thousands of pounds to own one of the original Herbie movie cars ...