When Bruce Meyers first made his dune buggy prototype in 1963, he utilized the shortened chassis of a Volkswagen Beetle and the suspension from a Chevy truck. 12 were made in its first year, while around 6,000 were put into production in total until 1971. Developed and built in southern California, the Meyers Manx dune buggy — named for the agile cat species — became a symbol of surf culture at a time when curios could very well be an important part of the zeitgeist, and many other marques were getting in on the action as well with their own takes on the vehicles. However, Meyers left B. F. Meyers & Co. by the end of the decade and financial troubles forced the company into closure.
A limited revival from Bruce Meyers himself took place back in 2000, yet without the Beetle chassis. And then in 2020, the founder sold the company shortly before his passing a year later. Now, Meyers Manx, LLC has announced at a trade show in Malibu that it will be coming out with its first production dune buggy in over 50 years. With an industry now quickly converting from combustion to battery-powered, the California-based outfit is following suit in that regard as well, saying that its Meyers Manx 2.0 will be fully electric upon its 2023 debut.
The new buggies are expected to look just like their progenitors, but with rear-wheel-mounted electric motors powered by one of two lithium-ion battery pack options. Buyers can choose between a 20kWh battery with 150 miles of range or a 300-mile 40kWH battery, the latter of which is estimated to go from 0 to 60mph in 4.5 seconds and will weigh just 1,650lbs.
This comes just a few years after Volkswagen itself unveiled plans for the electric ID. Buggy, inspired by the Manx, which never came out. As for the Manx 2.0, not much is known as of right now, but the company has said they will make just 50 examples. More information will be announced later this month during its official launch at The Quail Motorsports Gathering.
[H/T: TechCrunch]
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