Diane Darcy

Diane Darcy is a character in the 1977 Disney film "Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo". She was played by actress Julie Sommars. In the film, Diane was an attractive young woman in her thirties with red hair and hazel eyes. She was among the contestants in the inaugural Trans-France Race, an automotive competition that started in Paris, France, and culminated in Monte Carlo, Monaco. Diane's car was an equally beautiful light blue Lancia Monte Carlo with yellow and white stripes and a fancy dark blue number "7" on its sides. She wore an immaculate white jumpsuit with three dark blue stripes on each shoulder, and randomly placed decals bearing such brand names as Dover Fan Belts, Sure-Power Spark Plugs, and Nationale. Her country of origin was never disclosed, although she was apparently from the United States, if not Canada.

As the only female driver in the Trans-France Race, Diane Darcy was truly a force to be reckoned with. She had aspirations of winning the grueling competition, and serving as something of a positive role model for young women who wish to drive race cars.

However, when Herbie, the Love Bug, arrived in Paris with driver Jim Douglas and mechanic Wheely Applegate, her dreams of greatness in motor racing seemed to be threatened. For Herbie had begun to fall in love with Diane's beautiful Lancia, just as Jim appeared to be attracted to the Lancia's lovely owner. Herbie's fascination with the Lancia (which had come about during a practice round for the race) left Jim and Wheely understandably frustrated by this turn of events, though they were not nearly so frustrated as Diane. She almost automatically assumed that at least Jim and Wheely were against the presence of a woman in the race. Furthermore, she did not initially embrace the idea that Herbie was no ordinary car. Diane emphasized her strong feelings in one scene that saw her toss expensive china and a vase, among other things, towards Jim. Obviously, she had no tolerance for such ideas.

When Diane finally did get the chance to qualify, she achieved a fast-enough speed to earn a spot on the front row -- alongside polesitter Herbie, the car with a bit of a crush on Diane's Lancia (Herbie, however, arrives minutes after the start of the race, while under custody by French police). Little was seen of Diane's performance in the Trans-France Race itself, while Herbie, Jim, and Wheely struggled with most of the other racers, particularly Bruno Von Stickle, and with two diamond robbers (whose escapades constituted a subplot in the film). In fact, no more was seen of her or the Lancia until the late stages of the race, when Jim and Wheely spotted both car and driver trapped in a watery canal. And it was only the alacrity of Herbie and his two occupants that saved her from drowning, with Herbie doing likewise for the luscious Lancia. They were quite surprised when Diane gave Herbie a pep talk, encouraging the little car to persevere in his quest for victory (she even gave Jim a quick but still grateful kiss on one cheek after Herbie started his engine). At this point, she began to warm up to Jim.

And by the end of the film, she and Jim fell in love after a dinner date in which he learned that Diane's lovely little Lancia had a name -- Giselle -- and a will of her own.

Other Appearances

Diane Darcy also appeared in one episode of the "Herbie the Matchmaker" TV series from 1982. This time around, she was portrayed by Andrea Howard. In the episode "My House Is Your House", she challenged Jim Douglas to come out of retirement to race against her.