The car from Herbie Goes Bananas has been hanging from the roof of the Planet Hollywood casino in Las Vegas for many years. Now it has been taken down and sold for a record amount.
It's been several years since Boosted wrote about what we thought at the time was the world's most expensive Volkswagen Type 1.
The story still holds up, to say the least. The only catch is that the car hasn't been sold yet. It's the car that starred in Herbie Goes Bananas from 1980, after all.
And the price is enough to make it the world's most expensive Beetle. At least when you look at auction prices and final hammer prices.
It was Heritage Auctions that had the car under the hammer after it had been on the roof of Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas for many years.
With such a life in the elements, one cannot and should not expect a perfect car to have asphalt under its wheels again. But that didn't stop the bidding.
The 1961 gem was sold for 1.6 million Danish kroner. One can then ask oneself how much of a 'unique' the buyer actually got.
Not only is the Beetle one of the most produced Volkswagen models ever, it is also said that the film crew used more than 23 different Beetles for filming.
Most of them, however, went to stunt filming. The second most expensive Herbie movie car has also been in both "Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo" and "Herbie Goes Bananas". It was sold in 2015 for just under 900,000 Danish kroner.
The car, which was sold at auction, is also filled with a number of 'tricks' that were necessary to hide some of the Hollywood magic that the audience fell for. Among other things, there is a hidden compartment for the driver behind the front seats.
Today marks 20 years since the sixth and final Herbie film was released. The lead role is played by the later scandal-ridden Lindsay Lohan. She receives a Beetle, which turns out to be a car with a life of its own, as a gift from her father.
That being said, the Herbie series has been a huge success. The first film from 1968 cost a good 5 million dollars to make in the old days. But it grossed 51 million dollars when it first hit theaters.
37 years later, the filmmakers spent 50 million on the last film. However, it earned itself three times over, as it also attracted people to the cinemas.
