MARYVILLE, Tenn. – Blount County’s newest police cruiser has been turning heads, but whether it could keep up in a high-speed chase seems unlikely.

Assistant Chief Deputy Archie Garner retrofitted a 1973 Volkswagen Beetle to add to the sheriff’s fleet of police interceptors, but with a top-end speed of about 70 mph, he’s not writing a lot of speeding tickets.

The “bug-erceptor” was seized in a DUI case and boasts a new paint job, sheriff’s decals and tags, a siren, radio, barred rear side windows, a side-mounted spotlight and police lights.

The car even has the same number, 53, as Herbie the Volkswagen race car in the movie “The Love Bug.”

Garner said the car will be used mostly as a public relations tool for the department, making appearances in parades and at school events.