Description
Freedom, that’s what California in the 1960s represents for most. Sun, sand, sea and Dick Dale’s Misirlou reverberating through Marshall amplifiers. The car that fits that scene? A Dune Buggy.
The inspiration for a Dune Buggy came from a man named Bruce Meyers. Bruce was not only a WWII veteran, but also an accomplished engineer and keen surfer. He built the first known fibreglass bodied Dune Buggy throughout 1963 and into 1964 using a shortened floor pan and running gear from a VW Beetle.
The Manx quickly became the ideal surf-transporter, its lightweight nature allowed even the most haphazard of drivers to avoid getting embarrassingly stuck after shredding some gnarly waves. But it wasn’t just Surfers, the Manx proved successful in motorsport, it won the inaugural Mexican 1000, a race that would later become the iconic Baja 1000.
It’s estimated that only around 6, 000 MK1 Manx were built, but due to their increasing popularity and despite Meyers’ copyright, many replicas and copies were produced. Bruce kept a vested interest in the Dune Buggy scene, right up until his passing in 2021.
This particular Manx was based on a 1968 VW Beetle, and arrived in the UK from Florida in 2019. Externally, the original VW body has long gone, in its place a genuine fibreglass tub finished in a suitably lairy shade of metallic orange.
At the front there are chrome-housed pod headlamps and a centrally mounted fuel-filler cap, like a sporting 911. Tucked behind a reinforced bull-bar that will protect the car from any upcoming dunes, is the iconic Meyers Manx badge. The wheels are staggered, wider at the rear for additional traction and wrapped in suitably rough and tumble General Grabber All-Terrain tyres.
At the rear, it’s hard to ignore the engine that is mostly not inside the car. As an aircooled VW-unit this does aid with cooling! It’s a 1742cc 4-cylinder mated to a 4-Speed Manual gearbox, the unit runs well and is dressed nicely with polished valve covers and a rather spectacular coated exhaust system.
Inside the simplistic nature of Bruce’s original design remains, a t wood-rimmed EMPI steering wheel sits in front of a body-coloured dash panel that houses five matching white gauges. Mounted in the transmission tunnel is a machined gear shifter with a solid ball gear knob. The seats are buckets finished in black, with seat belts thankfully!
It’s in the interior where you can see the beauty of Bruce’s original simplistic design, it’s obvious where the fibreglass tub meets the Beetle floor-pan. It’s non-conforming, and beautiful for it. The Manx is as much a part of modern-history and popular culture as it is automotive history, with icons like Steve McQueen featuring on-screen alongside them.
The car also has the valuable recognition of being authenticated by the Meyers Manx Registry, included in the paperwork is a certificate signed by Bruce and Winnie Meyers. A Manx is realistically not a car you need, but if Marie Kondo were to ask, it is a car that will spark joy. Not only in yourself when you drive it, but for everyone else around you, and isn’t that what it’s all about?
Purchasing this Manx also includes entry (tickets, hospitality passes and track demonstration) at the 2024 Goodwood Revival where Meyers Manx will feature in a big capacity to celebrate their anniversary.
As with all our vehicles, a full digital folder is available on request containing more images, walk-around videos, and scans of the service history. The car can also be viewed by appointment at our West London showroom.
