At its 26th annual gathering of air-cooled folk wagons, the organizer used, Friends of Volkswagen de Catalunya, the occasion to celebrate Herbie. This year marks 50 years since it was first shown in Catalan cinemas. The film about the charming and self-willed bubble premiered in 1968, but did not reach Catalan cinemas until 17 September 1969. In Norway, Herbie appeared in October '69. The film "On two wheels in the swing" was a box office success for Walt Disney.
Who really was Herbie?
As in all movies, it's not about a single car. The Herbie that was used on the track, for example, had a chassis and engine from a Porsche 356. Other Herbies were used in various stunts. The model used in the quiet action was a completely stock 1963 model with California roll on the front bumper, sport wheels and sport seats. It is the we associate with Herbie. In 2015, it went to auction for a staggering 126 US dollars and set a record at auction house Hemmings.
Precision
It was the Catalan resort town Tossa de Mar which was to receive hundreds of people's wagons this autumnal Sunday. We arrived in town 10 minutes before the event was due to start. The main street was closed, but could we see any air-cooled public transports? Where were they? Had we got the time wrong?
Looking for a parking space, we were left waiting at a roundabout. Then they came - a whole column of people's wagons and buses from a campsite a couple of kilometers further south. In an instant the main street became Avinguda de Catalunya filled up by bubbles on one side and buses and pickups on the other. The upper part of the avenue was reserved for "drag races". The precision was due to the fact that the city's police only allowed the closure of the main street between 10.30 and 13.00. If the convoy had arrived earlier, there could have been traffic chaos.
Lots of public transport in Catalonia
Catalonia is a region in Spain that includes the city of Barcelona, as well as Tarragona in the south and Girona in the north. On the French side, large parts of the French region of Occitanie are referred to as Catalan Country. Catalonia has its own flag and its own language. Last year, Spanish Catalonia made an attempt to secede from Spain. The attempt was put down by force. Madrid never supports separatists.
On the Spanish and French sides, there are around 10 million people who call themselves Catalans. As a car enthusiast, this crowd can be described by the number of cars that took part in this event. I am sure that at no time would it have been possible to collect as many air-cooled passenger cars in, for example, Norway.
Pictures
All images can be viewed at a larger scale by clicking on them.
See
