Still, youngsters apparently love a car that winks at 'em and wins races. The new version, "Herbie: Fully Loaded," was a kiddie crowd-pleaser at the preview screening, though only the most nostalgically inclined adults could have been having much fun.

Along for the ride is Lindsay Lohan, the young model-singer-actress whose recent publicity has included more proverbial fender-benders than "Herbie" on a bad day. Tabloid craziness aside, Lohan acquits herself with light-hearted charm as Maggie Peyton, the daughter and granddaughter of well-known drivers.

Maggie's dad (Michael Keaton) is fearful of letting her drive, however, choosing her less-talented brother (Breckin Meyer) to carry on the family name. Dad wants Maggie out of the oil-soaked pits.

But when Maggie gets a beat-up old car from a junkyard as a high-school graduation gift, it turns out to be the legendary Herbie, now collecting dust, decades after his victory days. Maggie and her friend (Justin Long) clean up the car and eventually discover its pedal-to-the-metal magic.

Maggie hides her identity inside a racing helmet and competing against the leading racer of the day, the amusingly arrogant Trip Murphy (Matt Dillon). What if Dad finds out? What if Herbie has a mechanical (or mental) breakdown?

Director Angela Robinson gets as much mileage as is possible out of "Herbie." But even a car with a life of its own is bound to run out of gas.