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Manx Mania

Bruce Meyers' Manxter gives new life to a classic favorite

Created by Steve Temple

What sand-encrusted off-roader hasn't heard of Bruce Meyers, the Mac Daddy of all dune buggies? His Manx is arguably one of the most significant vehicles of the last century, not only for its record-breaking achievements in the 1967 Baja 1000, but also for capturing the imaginations of countless dirt truck enthusiasts (and several hundred copycat manufacturers, to boot). Far more than just a VW-based dune buggy, The Manx is iconic, a vehicular version of Beatles music and Peter Max art, it is a cultural waypoint of the Sixties that captures the look and feel of a bygone era.

Sand Man

Today, at 80—an age when most folks would be content to just sit on a porch in a rocking chair—Meyers' fertile imagination has spawned a neo/retro variant of the Manx, the Manxter 2+2. Instead of shortening a VW pan, this new model uses a full-length Beetle chassis, allowing for four seats instead of two. More significantly, the air-cooled Type 1 engine is gone, replaced by a modern, water-cooled, turbocharged Subaru WRX engine that hangs off the back end.

To say Bruce Meyers is a renaissance man would hardly do him justice. True, he has a fine arts background, but he's also a So Cal surfer who's raced in the Baja 1000 and sailed to Tahiti on a trading schooner. Faithful to his roots, he still goes to the beach near Oceanside, CA every week to play his guitar in front of the setting sun.

Even though the origin of the Meyers Manx is a story that often has been told, it bears repeating. It was 1963 when Meyers and a few friends got stuck in the sand at Pismo Beach in a chopped-down V8-powered Plymouth sedan. He spotted a Beetle floor pan sans body, just an engine, seat and roll bar, effortlessly whipping all over the beach with hardly a care. An idea was born. "What if that rig had a sleek, lightweight fiberglass body?" Meyers mused. It would be far more comfortable, and still just as capable in the dirt and sand.

Copied Cat

Meyers eventually went on to produce more than 6,000 examples of this concept—not exactly a huge quantity—but the car inspired hundreds of thousands of imitations. Given this sincerest, though clearly not ethical, form of flattery, the question worth asking is: What inspired the shape of the Manx?

Going back to his early years, just after the Great Depression, his family of musicians and artists moved to Hermosa Beach, CA where Bruce spent much of his time on the beach with his bike and his dog. The call of the sand-and-sea was irresistible to him, which might be why when he grew older, he joined the Merchant Marines and can now say that he survived kamikaze attacks in the South Pacific during WWII.

Attending art school, concentrating on drawing and painting, Meyers turned to more peaceful pursuits after the war. His interest in the human anatomy quickly evolved into an interest in the structure of machines. It was around this time, while working on wooden boats, that he came across a then-new material called fiberglass.

All these influences—the art, the anatomy, the sculpting, the sun 'n sand—converged and crystallized into the Manx. The trendy shape of this dune buggy grabbed the attention of "Hot Rod" magazine (its best-selling cover to date showed Meyers behind the wheel, clearing air over a dirt mound). "Car and Driver" put a Manx on its cover three separate times.

True to Form

After some 300 companies copied the car, selling more than a quarter of a million clones, the wave of popularity began to wane and only the faithful continued to hold the Manx torch on high. But as with everything, what's old is new again, so we come full circle to the Manxter. This resurfaced interest in such vehicles is hardly a surprise to Meyers because, as he points out, "When you create something with an original thought, and grace, and a sense of balance in its form and function, it's timeless."

Meyers has never been known as one who is content to simply rehash an old idea. The new Manxter takes the classic Manx to an entirely new level of performance, using modern mechanicals, from the long-arm off-road suspension to the 250-hp Subie boxster engine. (The latter is typically mated to an upgraded VW Type 1 transaxle or a stock Type II.) Given all the barely-used JDM (Japanese Domestic Market) powerplants imported stateside, the turbocharged Subaru WRX is an engine choice that makes a lot of sense. With 250 or more horses on tap in the somewhat heavier Manxter, there's a quantum leap in performance over the VW-powered Manx. The exhaust doesn't have that flatulent, air-cooled "braaap-braaap" sound. It's still loud, of course, but in a more guttural, authoritative key.

Available in two versions, the 2+2 for street- and soft-roading, and the DualSport for hardcore wheelin', the Manxter is only available in component form for as low as $5,400. Included for that figure is the color-coated fiberglass body, curved windshield, tubular top, and even a locking glove box (such luxury!). You will, however, need to source your own VW Beetle for the chassis.

Traditionalists and budget-minded builders can still use VW Type I engines, but considering the money spent on sand rails these days, we'd expect the Subaru to be the preferred mill, especially in the DualSport. True to its name, this model is for the serious off-road enthusiast with an appreciation for street-legal amenities. Inspired by the Manxter Baja 1000 Racer, the DualSport features suspension travel increased to a full foot in the front and 15-plus inches in the rear. Custom 3 x 3-inch trailing arms in the rear and a coil-over long-travel front trailing arm system mounted on a custom tubing sub-frame result in a 100-inch wheelbase, six inches longer than a standard VW chassis.

The result is a surprisingly smooth and stable ride that is less skittish and more predictable than the early Manx, even on rough terrain. An optional tube chassis is also available for DualSport, with modified roof-support system and body to accommodate long-travel shocks. For street use, a hardtop and side curtains can be installed for full weather protection. A DualSport racing version is currently in the works as well.

Good news for Baja 1000 fans: Sal Fish, president of SCORE International, has welcomed the introduction of a "Manxter" class in all SCORE events including the Baja 1000. Meyers Manx plans to continue fielding its own car in the major Baja events. For creative geniuses like Bruce Meyers, the sun never sets—such talented innovators simply disappear into the desert with a cloud of dust trailing behind.