Eric Minoff
Vice President, Head of Department - US
LOT 47
1963 Meyers Manx Dune Buggy "Lowrider" Chassis no. 4884938
Sold for US$42,560 inc. premiumLot to be sold without reserve
Lot 47
1963 Meyers Manx Dune Buggy "Lowrider"
1963 Meyers Manx Dune Buggy "Lowrider"
Chassis no. 4884938
Chassis no. 4884938
1,776cc OHV Flat Four
Twin Carburetors
80bhp (estimated)
4-Speed Manual Transaxle
Front and Rear Torsion Bar Suspension
4-Wheel Drum Brakes
* Offered directly from the Meyers Manx Heritage Collection
* Specially prepared for beach running with a lowered stance and Baja Pro tires
* New teak deck and Coco mats
* Candy-flake paint and numerous unique details
THE CAR OFFERED
In the 1960s, the fiberglass kit-car craze was taking hold in America. Versatile and inexpensive, fiberglass was easy for the average enthusiast to use, and custom car builders, racers, and hot-rodders turned to it as a viable alternative to sheet metal to turn their dreams into reality. Able to be molded into any shape imaginable, fiberglass build-your-own car kits sprang up to suit an endless variety of donor cars.
The most distinctive car of the genre emerged from the California workshops of Bruce F. Meyers. Mr. Meyers was an engineer, boat builder, artist, tinkerer, surfer, and amateur desert racer who sparked the kit-car craze of the 60s. Eschewing the typical sports car and "Kustom" styles favored by other kit manufacturers, Meyers designed and built a VW Beetle-based machine that was equally at home on the beach, the street, or racing through the desert – the original Dune Buggy. Drawing from his boat building experience, Meyers created the first dune buggy using a shortened VW drivetrain fitted to fiberglass monocoque body with a mix of VW and Chevy truck suspension parts. He named it the "Manx" after the stubby, short-tailed Manx cat.
Donor Beetles were cheap, plentiful, and readily tunable which gave the light and nimble Manx astonishing performance both on and off-road. Bruce Meyers' little buggy first made headlines in 1967 when it set the four-wheel Baja Peninsula speed record, and then again when it won the 1967 Mexican 1000 desert race (the predecessor to the Baja 1000), proving its mettle as a serious competition car. Sales exploded and soon scores of copies began flooding the market as the dune buggy craze took off. However, the copycats never captured the magic of the original Meyers Manx, which remained in production for years, and is now a bona fide cult-classic, and authentic Meyers originals continue to be prized by enthusiasts worldwide. In 2019, Bruce Meyers Meyers, who passed his legendary brand on to the current caretakers in 2019, launching a new Meyers Manx to carry on his legacy.
Even after 60 years, the Meyers Manx remains a one-of-a-kind American icon. The company has been recently reborn, now delivering turn-key, Remastered Manxes with new components and a refined version of Bruce's original body design. The full range includes a four-seat Resorter model as well as a Manx with an aircraft-inspired radial engine. This example was acquired by the Meyers Manx Heritage Collection has been cared for and updated by their team. Powered by a punched-out 1,776cc VW flat four, it has been stanced and lowered with an eye toward blasting across the sand dunes and beaches. Fitted with knobby Baja Pro tires, it is stunningly finished in Green Metalflake Gelcoat over low-back white vinyl bucked seats. The teak deck behind the seats has been freshly redone and a new set of Coco mats adorn the footwells. While the collection is retaining a handful of other special buggies, it is time for "Lowrider" to go to new caretakers where it can continue to deliver more smiles per mile.
Footnotes
Please note this is titled as a Volkswagen
Saleroom notices
Title in transit.
Additional information
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