The Love Bug is a classic Walt Disney live-action sports comedy that follows the adventures of Jim Douglas (Dean Jones), a down-on-his-luck race car driver who forms an unlikely bond with a sentient, pearl-white 1963 Volkswagen Beetle named "Herbie." Accompanied by his philosophical mechanic roommate Tennessee (Buddy Hackett) and supportive love interest Carole (Michele Lee), Jim rises to fame on the California racing circuit thanks to Herbie's incredible, self-guided driving abilities. However, their sudden success draws the ire of the villainous luxury car dealer Peter Thorndyke (David Tomlinson), who resorts to underhanded sabotage to stop them.