Isn’t Life Strange?

I just finished watching the end of Herbie Fully Loaded (Yeah, my life is an exciting one).

Like the other Love Bug movies from the 1960’s, “Fully Loaded” is intended to be fun, frivolous entertainment. But I do have one issue with the film. Let’s suspend belief for a moment and assume that we live in a world in which an old Volkswagen Beetle manufactured during the Eisenhower administration is alive and has feelings. I suppose we should also assume we live in a world in which Lindsay Lohan can act, but that’s another subject for another day.

In the movie, Lindsay talks to the anthropomorphic bug from Wolfsburg and coaxes it along to do spectacular things that make her look good, but is generally too selfish to concern herself with the very tender, sensitive feelings the car obviously has. Herbie is no ordinary car and has it in his power to defy the laws of physics by performing such feats as pulling unassisted wheelies and driving at perpendicular angles to the force of gravity. Fine. I get it. It’s a magic car.

But even magic cars must have limits. Have any of you ever taken a look at the engine in one of those things? It’s tiny! The little air-cooled, rear compartment engines could only crank out about 40 to 75 horsepower! But somehow, we’re supposed to let that go and believe that NASCAR has no problem allowing one of those little guys to race with the big boys.

That thought, my friends, reminds me of this spectacular demonstration.