 The Meyers Manx dune buggy, shown in its natural environment at the New Jersey shore. The Meyers Manx is a dune buggy designed and produced by Bruce Meyers in Fountain Valley, California, USA, between 1963 and 1971. The car featured a fiberglass body coupled with Volkswagen Beetle frame and engine. It is a tiny car, with a wheelbase 14 inches shorter than a Beetle so the frame has to be cut short and welded. It is so small and light that a man can lift up the front end of the car by himself. For this reason, the car is capable of very quick acceleration and good off-road performance. The one used in The Thomas Crown Affair was equipped with a Chevrolet Corvair engine. Approximately 5,000 of the original Meyers Manx dune buggies were produced, but when the design became popular many look-alikes were made by other companies. Meyers tried to stop the copies but failed to get a patent on his design. Since then countless buggies have been produced and are still being made today. A "full wheelbase Beetle" Buggy kit is still being produced and sold by the Meyers company. Many people recognize the body-type simply known as the "Beach Buggy". Meyers has recently introduced two new models, the Manxter 2+2 and Manxter DualSport. |