![]() ![]() Pontiac GTO owners try to look the other way. Sports-car enthusiasts say it delivers more excitement per pound than a Ferrari GTO. Motorcyclists allow as how it's almost as good as having two bikes. Sober, pragmatic men rationalize their passion for it by telling themselves that it's a sensible, low-cost, all-purpose utility runabout. Surfers swear it's the woody of the future. Kooky girls think it's kinky, or is it vice versa? Frustrated executives can't decide if it's better suited as a station car or as an escape module. Hot-rodders hail it as the reincarnation of the street roadster. ![]() The outdoor types say it's perfect for pack trips and hunting expeditions. No two of its 250-odd owners see it exactly the same way. Its maker senses in it something of the classic character of Mercer Raceabouts and Apperson Jackrabbits. Our first glimpse of one was from directly astern, and it looked like some kind of crazy scout car, a mixed-up command vehicle. The Meyers Manx is all things to all men. Meyers and Co winded up by 1971.From the April 1967 issue of Car and Driver. Meyers left his own company after some years, pursuant to which the company got involved in a host of financial troubles, including a few with the IRS. Estimates suggest almost a quarter-million copies of the Meyers Manx trotted the globe in a yesteryear era, where cars were not half as common as they are today. ![]() The car was patented, and only 6000 originals were ever produced, but owing to its popularity, several hundred thousand copies of the Meyers Manx were built by other companies globally. Media attention wasn’t too far away, as the Manx buggy was selected as the Cover story for the 1966 issue of the Hot Rod Magazine. The commercial version of the Meyers Manx received global acclamation as it sped past motorcycles, trucks, and several cars to win the inaugural 1967 Mexican 1000 race. Despite not being a 4 wheel drive, the car was able to deliver top-notch off-road performance. This enhanced the pick-up speed, overall control, and acceleration too. The car was deliberately built short and small, with a wheelbase about 14 inches shorter than your regular Beetle. The miniature car featured an open-wheeled fiberglass body shell, coupled with VW Beetle’s H4 flat-four engine and a modified, RR-layout Beetle frame. The Meyers Manx Mk 1 was a cherry to the eye. The company overlooked the commercial manufacturing of the street-ready Manx Dune Buggy. Meyers & Co was Meyers' commercial and production stronghold. Despite all this, the project turned out too expensive to be profitable, and only 12 kits of the monocoque Manx were produced.ī. In fact, the car went on to feature on the April edition of the 1967 Car and Driver magazine. ![]() Not a jaguar exactly, but still pretty impressive right? Meyers' creation hit the ground running, and the early design of the car received massive critical acclamation. In fact, the Meyers Manx logo expressly features a Manx cat. The car was named after the special breed of cats called the “Manx” cats, known for their sharp turning ability while chasing their prey. The finished product was the first-ever street-legal fiberglass Dune Buggy. Meyers retained the engine, transmission, and mechanicals of the Beetle. The custom car featured a monocoque, fiberglass shell to brave the desert wind and sand, although it did lack a top and a hood. Using his experience in boat building, Meyers used the suspension of a Chevrolet pick-up truck and merged it with the shortened front of a Volkswagen Beetle. Meyers created his first dune buggy, the “Old Red” in his garage at Newport Beach California. ![]()
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