Meyers Manx
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The Meyers Manx dune buggy was designed and built by Californian Bruce Meyers between 1963 and 1971. It debuted in 1964.
The car featured a fiberglass body coupled with Volkswagen Beetle frame and engine. It is a tiny car, with a wheelbase 14 1/4 inches shorter than a Beetle so the frame has to be cut short and welded. It is so small and light that a person of average strength can lift up the front end of the car by themselves. For this reason, the car is capable of very quick acceleration and good off-road performance.
The Meyers Manx achieved widespread recognition when it won the inaugural Mexican 1000 race, the predcessor of the Baja 1000 and beat motorcycles, cars and trucks doing so.
Manx type cars appear in several movies with stars such as Elvis Presley. One of the more memorable appearances is in original version of the The Thomas Crown Affair, starring Steve McQueen. In the movie there is a lengthy beach driving scene where a heavily modified Meyers Manx equipped with a Chevrolet Corvair engine is launched over several dunes.
Approximately 5,000 of the original Meyers Manx dune buggies were produced, but when the design became popular many look-alikes (estimated at a quarter of a million worldwide) were made by other companies. Meyers tried to stop the copies, by suing under the patent process but failed due to the patent not being upheld by the court. Since then countless buggies have been produced and are still being made today. Many people recognize this body-type simply known as the "Dune Buggy" or "Beach Buggy".
Since 2002, Meyers Manx have introduced new models, the Manxter 2+2 and Manxter Dual Sport being two. These new models are true to the original design but are sized for a full-length Beetle floorpanpan. Custom versions for higher horsepower engines and other variations are also available. Presently, the design of new models takes place in Valley Center, California [1].
[edit] Meyers Manx in Popular Culture
- In the The Thomas Crown Affair (1968), Steve McQueen's character drives a Meyers Manx along the beach.
- The 1973 cartoon series Speed Buggy featured an anthopomorphic Dune Buggy voiced by Mel Blanc.
- For a brief time in the mid-1970s, Spider-Man used a modified Buggy as his "Spider-Mobile".
- Wonderbug was a live-action Dune Buggy, part of the first two seasons of ABC's Krofft Supershow beginning in 1976.
- In the 19-2000 Music Video by the Gorillaz, the band drives a Manx style inspired car.
- Mattel's toy car brand "Hot Wheels" has licensed several versions of the Meyers Manx, and they are frequently available in toy stores.
- The "BF Injection" dune buggy in the Grand Theft Auto series is heavily based on the Meyers Manx.
[edit] External links
- Meyers Manx company
- Meyers Manx Four Wheeler TV Documentary
- the most complete Fiberglass Dune Buggy Website on the net
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