Classic Meyers Manx dune buggy is in for major changes this year

Mark Phelan, Detroit Free Press
·2 min read

One of the world’s most iconic and recognizable vehicles gets big changes in 2023, as the do-it-yourself Meyers Manx dune buggy kit car adds new features for the first time since 1970 and prepares to launch an all-new electric model later this year.

No details on the electric Meyers Manx 2.0 are available, but when it arrives, we can expect it to keep the classic open-topped shape auto legend Bruce Meyers introduced to the world in 1964. Unlike gasoline-powered Manxes, it seems unlikely to use a VW Beetle chassis.

The Remastered Meyers Manx dune buggy kit features 64 colors, more precise body panels and new features including a lockable trunk in the rear floor.
The Remastered Meyers Manx dune buggy kit features 64 colors, more precise body panels and new features including a lockable trunk in the rear floor.

The electric version will be among the first vehicles to answer a key question facing sporty EVs, which won't create a gasoline engine's familiar sounds: Should it use a synthetic sound to indicate performance, or luxuriate in an electric motor’s near-silent power?

The Remastered Meyers Manx dune buggy kit features 64 colors, more precise body panels and new features that include a lockable trunk in the rear floor.
The Remastered Meyers Manx dune buggy kit features 64 colors, more precise body panels and new features that include a lockable trunk in the rear floor.

The name “Manx” comes from the fact that the first vehicles, built on a shortened Beetle frame, reminded Meyers of the bob-tailed Manx cat.

The Remastered Meyers Manx dune buggy kit features 64 colors, more precise body panels and new features including a lockable trunk in the rear floor.
The Remastered Meyers Manx dune buggy kit features 64 colors, more precise body panels and new features including a lockable trunk in the rear floor.

To whet our appetite for that momentous unveiling, the Beetle-based, gasoline-powered Manx just got its first significant update since: new features, easier to assemble 3D-scanned fiberglass body panels, and a rich color palette.

Classic look, new features

Officially called the Meyers Manx Remastered kit, prices for the new kit start at $5,995. Metal flake paint adds $1,000, UV clear coat another $800. The panels were digitally remastered for what Meyers Manx calls “a seamless fit,” easier do-it-yourself assembly and a more finished appearance.

Buyers have to provide a Beetle chassis and the engine of their choice.

The Remastered Meyers Manx dune buggy kit features 64 colors, more precise body panels and new features including a lockable trunk in the rear floor.
The Remastered Meyers Manx dune buggy kit features 64 colors, more precise body panels and new features including a lockable trunk in the rear floor.

Designer Freeman Thomas — famed for the Audi TT — was involved in updating the classic design to incorporate new features, including a locking trunk, easily removable dash assembly and enclosed tubes for wiring.

“It is a privilege to work on the Manx dune buggy, which is such an iconic piece of California cultural history,” Thomas said. “The goal of the remastered program was to preserve Bruce Meyers’ unmistakable design while incorporating modern touches that make full assembly accessible to more people.”

The kit is available in 64 colors, including a whopping 46 with metal flake.

Contact Mark Phelan: 313-222-6731 or mmphelan@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @mark_phelan. Read more on autos and sign up for our autos newsletter. Become a subscriber.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Meyers Manx dune buggy gets first updates in decades, prepares EV