I own the original VW Herbie Love Bug and people can't stop talking to my car

VW Beetle enthusiast Luke Theochari has become the talk of the town after acquiring one of the original Herbie movie cars, spending a hefty sum to fulfil his childhood dream. The iconic Volkswagen Beetle, known for its unique personality and distinctive cream colour with eye-catching red, white, and blue racing stripes, first captured hearts in the 1969 hit 'The Love Bug'.

Luke, now 65, reminisced about his first encounter with the charismatic car: "I went to see the film with my cousin Mike. I saw it three times at the cinema in Ealing." He fondly recalled the impact Herbie had on him as a youngster: "Herbie pulled wheelies and beat the Hot Rod. He's magic! He won races in a car that was loved by its owners and as a child it creates an image in your head."

Years later, the father of three is spreading "joy and happiness" on UK streets with the genuine Herbie, which he purchased from a previous owner in the US this particular vehicle being one of the mere three used in the original film.

Luke shared his experiences behind the wheel: "When I'm driving down the street people shout 'Herbie! Herbie!', but they don't realise it's the real car. That does make it a bit easier to get around.

"When I park up at the shops people come and look at the car and when I used to go to the cafe in the mornings the workmen - those really hard builders and roofers would say 'Hi Herbie! ' and they'd go and talk to the car!"

Luke, thanks to his beloved Herbie, is set to appear on the big screen himself as he features in a Volkswagen advert celebrating genuine VW enthusiasts.

The Beetle in Luke's possession, codenamed H2, was custom-built for the film's adrenaline-pumping race scenes. It boasts an augmented Porsche 356 engine along with numerous performance upgrades including Porsche finned brakes on all four wheels and Koni shock absorbers. The enhanced suspension system can manage some serious bends on the road.

For nearly four decades, Luke has been zealously restoring and servicing Beetles at his establishment, Terry's Beetles located in Hanwell, West London. He possesses a collection of 32 VW Beetles and three Porsche 911s.

Initially, Luke had decided to craft a replica of Herbie from spare parts. However, a heart attack in 2005 significantly altered his plans.

Narrating the life-altering incident, Luke said: "I was working in my garage and I felt uncomfortable and didn't feel right," Recalling the moment he realised something was off, he continued, "I had heavy heartburn and my colleague said 'go home'. So I drove myself home and when my wife, Helen, saw me she took one look at me and said 'come on, hospital!'."

Reflecting on the moments spent in the hospital, he confessed, "I was laying there in hospital not knowing whether I was going to have another heart attack because you don't know what's going to happen next.

"A mate called me up and asked if I needed anything so I told him to sell some of my cars in case my wife needed money if I died. The whole episode gave me time to reflect."

"While I was at home recovering I'd watch films with my daughter Flori who was three at the time. We'd watch Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and then when she went to bed I'd put on the Herbie films again and I just knew what I wanted to do."

Luke said: "We emailed back and forth for about a year and eventually I managed to get the car off him. He was asking loads of probing questions and wanted me to come and see the car before I bought it, which obviously wasn't possible. He did his own checks on me to make sure I was responsible enough to own the car. I think he just wanted to make sure Herbie would be loved.

"What swung it for me was when I spoke of the car as though it was human. What I didn't realise was that although I was emailing him it was actually his wife I was trying to convince!"

"They asked 'How would you get the car to the UK?' so I said to them 'You'll have to send him off with an empty belly because he'll be on a ship for a couple of weeks and you don't want him getting sick'. That's how Herbie was treated in the movies and that's how they spoke of him."

The car was transported from Florida to Southampton in a container and then delivered to Luke by transporter, taking six weeks in 2007. "When I took delivery the hairs on my arms and back of my neck stood on end and I ran to Herbie to have a look," Luke recounted. It caused a bit of a scene in the streets with neighbours coming to have a look but none of them knew it was the real Herbie. They all thought I'd bought a replica."

Luke remains secretive about the exact figure he paid for H2, but another model used in 'Herbie Goes Bananas' fetched £80,000 at a 2015 auction, and his insurers have valued his car at a maximum of £100,000.

He declared: "I'll never reveal how much I paid because money didn't come into it. My late wife, Helen, never asked. She wasn't interested. All she wanted to know was that I was happy."

Luke's cherished bug, which boasts nearly 85,000 miles and can comfortably maintain 80mph, will be showcased in Volkswagen's upcoming campaign - YourWagen. This celebration of Volkswagen's impact on its owners' lives will kick off with a special 60-second advert set to air on Saturday during Britain's Got Talent.

YourWagen aims to highlight the special bond and significance Volkswagen cars, known as 'the people's car', hold for their drivers, placing these enthusiasts at the core of the campaign.

The YourWagen platform will feature a collection of real-life stories from genuine Volkswagen owners, inviting fellow customers to ponder on what they might name their own Wagen.

The film showcases memories of friendship, love, overcoming life's challenges, turning hobbies into careers and, naturally, even a movie star.

Luke has seen the original Love Bug film countless times - but don't dare ask him about the 2005 Disney reboot 'Herbie: Fully Loaded' starring Lindsay Lohan. "Oh no," he sighs.

Luke stated: "That is so not a Love Bug film because all the tuning firms got involved and put chrome engines in the car and that's just not the right thing to do. It takes away all the magic.

"We managed to get tickets to see the film before it was released to the general public and we nicked all the posters off the walls!

"We left the cinema feeling like it had lost some of its charm. It's supposed to be about a standard car that performs and outruns the big cars. But with the Lohan film, Herbie was tuned with ridiculous spoilers and things."

When he's not working, Luke enjoys spreading the Love Bug's love and once embarked on a 212-mile round trip to Leicester for a seriously ill three-year-old boy who was a huge Herbie fan.

Luke shared: "I received a message from his mum telling me how much he loved the films. The boy had undergone several serious operations and she wondered if I could drive Herbie up to their home. So I took Herbie up complete with a kid's racing outfit for him to wear - similar to what they wore in the first film - and it was a great day!

"My wife would also take Herbie to the homes of sick kids and give them a ride to help give them a boost and I still take him to weddings to transport bride and grooms around for free. I don't charge because Herbie's not for hire!

"I've got to an age now where it's getting harder getting around and doing lots of things. The brain wants to, but the body can't. So I'm slowing down a little bit but I'll always have a tickle with Herbie and just enjoy driving him.

"It's nice to make people happy. When you see people smiling as you're driving down the road it's a lovely feeling."