1969 Volkswagen/Meyers Manx Beach Buggy

Description

The idea for the first Volkswagen Beach Buggy was dreamt up by a Californian named Bruce Meyers, who had the inspired idea of using a shortened Beetle floorpan as the basis of a hopped-up off-road creation.  The idea caught on and soon the Meyers Manx kits were selling in droves, proving popular anywhere there was sand or dirt and a thriving off-road culture.  With its light weight, easily tuned engine and plenty of good, cheap examples lying around, the Beetle formed the perfect basis for a Beach Buggy and, as demand for the original Meyers Manx far exceeded output from the small factory, numerous copies began to appear on the market.  Meyers ultimately made around 6,000 Manx buggies in his Fountain Valley-based operation between 1964 and 1971 and the marque was revived in 2000 under the brand Meyers Manx Inc., offering modernised versions on the original Beetle floorpan at first, followed by the original shortened version (known the Kick-Out Manx Traditional) in 2009.  The rear engine layout and light weight of the fibreglass buggy bodywork helped transfer most of the weight to the rear wheels, improving traction, while the rugged air-cooled engine had few cooling problems to cope with.  Thanks to movie stars like Steve McQueen and Elvis Presley and Mattel's Hot Wheels models, the Beach Buggy rapidly cemented itself into popular culture, reaching the height of its popularity in the late Sixties and early Seventies.  Coming back into fashion in recent years, good examples are now starting to fetch excellent prices, particularly those with genuine Meyers Manx bodies.  The Beach Buggy has a lot to offer, providing affordable, fun motoring and is a perfect runabout for anyone living on the coast or near a dirt track.