Few cars have captured young gearhead imaginations the way Herbie has. “The Love Bug” is a very special film to yours truly, as it is for so many others; I actually showed it to my son for the first time just a few weeks ago, and he, of course, went bananas for it. And like every good hero story, there has to be a villain, and the celebrated “Thorndyke Special” was how this character was captured in four-wheeled form. Now, the actual Apollo GT from the iconic film is for sale, listed here on Bonhams.com.
Eagle-eyed readers may recall that the story of discovering the Apollo GT actually used in the filming of The Love Bug was documented here on Barn Finds. Incredibly, what began as simply undertaking the restoration of a rare and desirable Apollo model turned into an epic discovery of one of the more significant movie cars of our time as the new owner peeled away the layers of age and abuse to discover he had purchased the actual Thorndyke Special! Check out the original article when you have a chance.
I can’t think of anything better for a car buff than finding out they unwittingly uncovered a long-lost movie car that will bring smiles of joy to fans of all ages. Obviously, the restoration costs went up a bit once you factor in not only fixing a long-dormant vintage vehicle but then also building it to the specifications of a specific model; in fact, the owner claimed he found plenty of evidence of body damage from the scenes in which Peter Thorndyke used the Apollo as a bit of a battering ram when trying to subvert the plucky VW.
This car is a winner in multiple ways, not the least of which is its status as a limited-production, high-performance model that would be highly sought-after even without the Hollywood pedigree. While some aspect of Herbie’s place in history has diminished with the passage of time, those of us who grew up with the fabulous films know how special this Apollo is, and applaud the owner for carrying out a sympathetic restoration to bring the star car back to life.
Terrific followup to a great original story, Jeff. Some machines are worth keeping up with-this one especially.
I absolutely loved The Love Bug movies as a kid. I remember going to see Herbie Rides Again at a drive in theatre in our 1970 Olds 98 4 door hardtop and hanging out the window to see. Great great memories, thanks for sharing this story. The Thorndike Special looks amazing.
Best looking one i have ever seen!!
Wow! I went to the site of the auction, and found myself going down the Rabbit hole of all the other vehicles! This is a beauty for sure, but there are other ones just as nice, and even nicer. Might want to check it out!
missed all that.
By that time I was out wrenchin in da garage. Disney seemed “oh so kiddy-like” and “me a big 16 y/o” ! No more TV till I got sick (hill st blues & married w/children) & hada slo down. That’s what tv/movies R 4. When one can not B active, drivin or wrenchin…
BUT…
the 3500GT, didnt miss. Merican Ferrari, anything that got a buick alloy engine I’d research. All car guys oughta~
The auction company listed this car as 4-wheel independent suspension. To my knowledge none of these cars ever had a 4-wheel independent suspension. Also I cannot verify that any of them ever had disc brakes on the front. I thought all had 4-wheel drum brakes.
Bill
“Balchowsky had performed extensive modifications to the engine, suspension and brakes of the stunt car that was used for the driving/collision scenes. These mods were instrumental in helping with the identification of my car.” From the previous Barn Finds article. I wonder if we could find out what was really modified. Sounds like a lot was touched to make it a better performer and a 1 of 1 car.
It is a 4 link solid rear axle, not independent. JB
Sold $165k.