Dean Jones personally requested to play the hippy at the drive-in. The director originally turned him down, but after Jones proved that he could convincingly take on the persona, he was immediately given the part.
The only existing "trick Herbie" from the movie, which can do things like squirt oil and open the doors by himself, is owned by Dean Jones.
Over 20 different VW beetles were used in the making of the film, each one being modified for various tasks. For the racing scenes the standard 40 horse power VW 1200cc engine was nowhere near powerful enough to make Herbie look like a believable race car. To overcome this problem "Herbie number 2" was modified by the famous VW tuner EMPI and fitted with a 90 horse power 1600cc, twin carburetor Porsche flat-4 engine from a Porsche 356 "Super 90". This version of Herbie was capable of around 115mph and used in most of the racing scenes. This car also featured several other upgrades to suspension and braking and has an obvious wider track and wheels to some of the other cars featuring in the film. Herbie number 2 still exists with his original Porsche 356 engine and is located in England.
When production started, Disney set up a casting call for about a dozen cars, and kept them outside the studios for the crew to examine during their breaks. The lineup included Toyotas, Volvos, and of course, the pearl white Volkswagen Beetle. When the crew walked by to inspect the cars, they would kick the tires and grab the steering wheel to see how it handled. However, when they came across the Volkswagen, they began to pet it, so the Beetle got the job.
Herbie was a 1963 Volkswagen Beetle deluxe ragtop sedan painted in Volkswagen L87 pearl white. Herbie's interior was painted a special non-reflective grey so the camera and studio lights would not reflect. Under normal circumstances, the interior would be a matching white.
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