Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo

As Dean Jones' Jim Douglas and Don Knotts' Wheely Applegate take to the track, their trusty steed Herbie - a 1963 Volkswagen Beetle with a mind of its own - is revving up for the Trans-France Race. This thrilling competition spans from the City of Light, Paris, France, to the glamorous principality of Monte Carlo, Monaco. With their sights set on staging a racing comeback, Douglas and Herbie are ready to put their skills to the test against three formidable foes.

First up is Bruno Von Stickle (Eric Braeden), a dark-haired, mustachioed German driver with a wealth of experience in the European Racing Circuit. His powerful Porsche 917 clone, adorned with the colors of the German flag and bearing the number 17, is a force to be reckoned with. What's more, Von Stickle's ride is actually a Lazer 917 GT coup, featuring components borrowed from Herbie himself - a testament to the little Beetle's impressive engineering.

Next in line are Claude Gilbert (Mike Kulcsar) and his black-and-white-striped De Tomaso Pantera. This blond-haired, mustachioed French driver may be a wild card, but he's got the skills to back up his power-hungry car. That is, until he meets an untimely demise in the later stages of the race.

Last but certainly not least is Diane Darcy (Julie Sommars), a stunning young American woman with strawberry blonde locks and a reputation for being icy cool. As the only female driver in the Trans-France Race, Darcy's got a chip on her shoulder - particularly when it comes to Jim Douglas, whose careless behavior allegedly ruined her chances during the first qualifying rounds. Little do they know, however, that Herbie's got a crush on Diane's sleek ride, setting the stage for a series of unexpected events that will keep audiences on the edge of their seats.

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Diane's powder-blue 1976 Lancia Scorpion, adorned with vibrant yellow and white stripes and a sleek black numeral 7, captures the heart of Herbie. As he falls deeply in love with this charismatic vehicle, Herbie becomes torn between his original plan to win the Trans-France Race and his newfound affection for Diane's prized possession. His infatuation ultimately leads him to defy his partners, Jim (who seems equally smitten with Diane) and Wheely, as well as his own instincts. Meanwhile, Diane remains skeptical of Herbie's claims that her car is alive, viewing them as a clever ruse born from possible misogyny or sexism on the part of Jim.

As fate would have it, Diane's Lancia Scorpion meets an untimely demise at the end of the race, plummeting into a lake with victory within reach. However, Herbie and Jim spring into action, saving both car and woman from a watery grave. This heroic feat has a profound impact on Diane, who witnesses Herbie towing her beloved Lancia out of the lake before watching in awe as he crawls next to it, their doors held open like tender hands embracing. As Herbie struggles to restart his engine, now driven by a determination to remain by the Lancia's side, Diane is convinced that cars can indeed possess a mind of their own. With her newfound understanding, she urges Herbie not to give up on his quest for victory in the Trans-France Race, and even lends her support with a gentle kiss on Jim's cheek.

With both Diane and Claude Gilbert forced out of the competition following their lake-side mishap, Jim sets his sights on Von Stickle, engaging in an exhilarating duel through the streets of Monte Carlo. Ultimately, Herbie emerges victorious, outsmarting Von Stickle by driving upside down along the famous Formula One racetrack tunnel, securing a remarkable win - his 20th with Jim at the wheel.

As the narrative unfolds, two cunning thieves, Max (Bernard Fox) and Quincey (Roy Kinnear), orchestrate a daring heist, pilfering the renowned Étoile De Joie diamond and cleverly concealing it within Herbie's fuel tank. This audacious plan is designed to evade capture by a relentless swarm of police officers. However, their scheme takes an unexpected turn when they unwittingly choose the wrong vehicle to hide their loot, as Herbie - a 1963 Beetle with an external fuel filler cap and a mind of its own - proves to be a most unpredictable partner.

The thieves' initial success is short-lived, as they repeatedly squander opportunities to retrieve the diamond, which has become lodged in Herbie's unsuspecting belly. A particularly precarious encounter unfolds when Max and Quincey attempt to intimidate Jim and Wheely at gunpoint, only for Herbie to outsmart them and make a daring escape. This sequence of events culminates in a misinterpreted conclusion that Diane might be orchestrating the chaos.

As a result, the French authorities decide to place Herbie under their protection, assigning Inspector Bouchet to serve as his caretaker. However, Detective Fontenoy swoops in at the last moment, usurping the role and setting the stage for a series of events that will have far-reaching consequences.

With the Trans-France Race looming, Herbie finds himself facing an unexpected delay, courtesy of Detective Fontenoy's tardiness. This setback is compounded by the Lancia, which refuses to start due to its disappointment over Herbie's perceived abandonment. Wheely seizes this opportunity to deceive the Lancia into departing without Herbie, fabricating a convincing narrative that Herbie has abandoned her for another. With Jim's help, the Lancia eventually takes off, leaving Herbie to make his own way back onto the track.

As Herbie finally re-emerges, he becomes fixated on tracking down the Lancia, causing a further delay and setting the stage for a thrilling series of events that will test his mettle as a racing machine.

As Wheely weaves a web of deceit, convincing Herbie to join the racing fray with a fabricated tale of abandonment, she cleverly conceals her true intentions behind a veil of false narrative. But when Jim intervenes with a heartfelt rebuke, exposing Wheely's insincerity and prompting a mea culpa, the truth comes to light like a beacon shining brightly in the night.

Meanwhile, a surprising twist unfolds as Inspector Bouchet, codenamed "Double X" by the thieves, is revealed to be the mastermind behind the high-stakes museum heist. Detective Fontenoy, an eager and somewhat hasty young sleuth, takes on the challenge of unraveling the mystery of L'Étoile De Joie, ultimately leading to Bouchet's downfall and his own handcuffs.

Throughout the narrative, a palpable tension exists between Inspector Bouchet and Detective Fontenoy. The reasons for their animosity are never explicitly stated, but subtle hints suggest that Bouchet's disdain for the young detective may stem from the Inspector's own machinations, revealed as he attempts to persuade the Head Official of Monaco to cancel Detective Fontenoy's diamond search.

As the story reaches its climax, Jim and Diane find themselves falling deeply in love, a development that defies their initial pact. Similarly, Wheely and the Monte Carlo trophy girl share a romantic connection, transcending their earlier promises. And in a heartwarming conclusion, Herbie and Giselle rekindle their passion, their love story serving as a testament to the power of true devotion.