View source for Meyers Manx

{{Short description|Two-passenger recreational kit car}}
{{distinguish|text=the [[Norton Manx]], a street-racing motorcycle}}
{{redirect|Bruce Meyers|other people with similar names|Bruce Myers (disambiguation)}}
{{Infobox automobile
| image = file:1stMeyersManxWithBruceMeyers.jpg|
| caption = Bruce Meyers in a genuine Meyers Manx.
| name = Meyers Manx
| manufacturer = Bruce F. Meyers individually (prototype)<br />B. F. Meyers & Co. (main production)<br />Meyers Manx, Inc. (modern revival)
| layout = [[RR layout]]
| class = [[Dune buggy]]<br />[[Kit car]]
| body_style = Open-wheeled
| assembly = [[Newport Beach, California]] (prototype)<br />[[Fountain Valley, California]] (main)<br />[[Valley Center, California]] (revival)
| production = 1964&ndash;65 (prototype, 12 built)<br />1965&ndash;1971 (main, ~6,000 built)<br />1999&ndash;present (limited)
| engine = 1.2L VW [[Flat-four engine|H4]], 1.3L VW H4,<br />1.5L VW H4, 1.6L H4
| transmission = 4-speed [[Manual transmission|manual]] transaxle, 2-wheel drive
| battery = 40 kWh ([[Battery electric vehicle|BEV]])
}}
The '''Meyers Manx''' [[dune buggy]] is a small, two-passenger, recreational [[kit car]] designed and marketed by [[California]] engineer, artist, boat builder and surfer '''Bruce F. Meyers'''<ref name="NYT_obit">{{cite news |last1=Sandomir |first1=Richard |title=Bruce Meyers, Who Built the First Fiberglass Dune Buggy, Dies at 94 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/06/us/bruce-meyers-dead.html |access-date=7 March 2021 |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=6 March 2021}}</ref> and manufactured by his [[Fountain Valley, California]] company, B. F. Meyers & Co. from 1964 to 1971.

The roofless, windowless, fenderless, high-hipped and high-tailed fiberglass body was designed to work with the mechanicals and [[chassis]] of a [[Volkswagen Beetle]],<ref name="DBH">{{cite book |title=Dune Buggy Handbook |last=Hale |first=James |publisher=Veloce Pubg |year=2004 |pages=118&ndash;123 |isbn=978-1904788218 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=FiwXPBt1MbsC&q=Manx+Tow%27dster&pg=PA123 |access-date=November 19, 2012}}</ref><ref name="MMH">{{cite web |url=http://www.meyersmanx.com/history.shtml |title=Meyers Manx History |work=MeyersManx.com |year=2012 |publisher=Self-published |access-date=2012-02-05 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120204164736/http://www.meyersmanx.com/history.shtml |archive-date=2012-02-04 }}</ref> exposing the engine and taking advantage of the Beetle's light weight, rear-engine traction, removable bodywork and suitability to off- and on-road driving. 

Drawing on his art background, Meyers would later say he combined the [[Volkswagen Schwimmwagen]]’s high fenders and short wheelbase, the [[Volkswagen Kubelwagen]]'s stand-up headlamps and the chic, open simplicity of European beach cars &mdash; e.g., the [[Fiat 500#iat 500 Jolly Ghia|Fiat 500 Jolly]], [[Citroën Méhari]], [[Renault Rodeo]] and [[Mini Moke|BMC Mini Moke]].
<ref name="style">{{cite web
 |title        = Old Red, the first Meyers Manx dune buggy, to go on National Historic Vehicle Register
 |publisher    = Hemmings.com
 |author       = Daniel Strohl
 |date         = August 27, 2024
 |url          = https://www.hemmings.com/stories/old-red-the-first-meyers-manx-dune-buggy-to-go-on-national-historic-vehicle-register/}}</ref> 

The Manx immediately began dominating dune racing and breaking records and was eventually also released in on-road models.  The original company would succumb to tax problems after Meyers's departure,<ref name="DBH" />{{Rp|118&ndash;123}}  and was re-founded in 2000 as '''Meyers Manx, Inc.''', marketing new kits inspired by the original Manx.<ref name="MMH" /> 

In 2024, Meyer's original Manx prototype was inducted into the [[Historic Vehicle Association|National Historic Vehicle Register]], for its association with American historic events and figures, and its design and construction importance.  Meyers himself died on February 19, 2021 at 94.<ref>[https://www.classicandsportscar.com/obituaries/rip-bruce-meyers-1926-2021 RIP Bruce Meyers 1926–2021]</ref>

The ''Manx'' nameplate and logo derived from the [[Manx (cat)|cat]], sharing the cat's high-tailed, stubby profile.<ref name="DBH" />{{Rp|118}}

==Home-made prototype==
Drawing on his experience in sailboat construction, Meyers modeled and built his first dune buggy, "Old Red", a shortened VW Beetle with a [[monocoque]] [[fiberglass]] shell and [[Chevrolet]] pickup truck (trailing arm style) [[Suspension (vehicle)|suspension]], in late 1963 to May 1964 in his garage in [[Newport Beach, California]]. The first known [[Street-legal vehicle|street-legal]] fiberglass dune buggy, it featured a unibody shell that fused [[Auto body|body]], [[Fender (vehicle)|fenders]] and [[Frame (vehicle)|frame]], retaining just the [[engine]], [[Transmission (mechanics)|transmission]] and other mechanicals of the VW, and with no [[Hardtop|top]] and no [[Hood (vehicle)|hood]]. The use of compound curves throughout provided great rigidity.<ref name="DBH" /> The fenders were arched high, to make room for large, knobby dirt-racing wheels.<ref name="DBH" />

The "Manx" name for the shortened, taller-wheeled, more maneuverable VW Beetle [[Auto tuning|mods]] refers to and derives from the comparably stubby [[Manx cat]]<ref name="DBH" /> The tailless cat in the logo, as featured on the hood ornament, is stylized after a [[Lion (heraldry)|passant heraldic lion]], its right forepaw brandishing a sword. The name also suggests racing fitness, as the already globally renowned British-manufactured [[Norton Manx]] motorcycle dominated the [[Isle of Man TT]], [[Manx Grand Prix]] and other [[Isle of Man]]-based (i.e. Manx) international races from the 1940s to the early 1970s. The Meyers Manx has no direct connection to the Isle of Man.

Meyers produced kits later in 1964 and into 1965, marketed under the name Meyers Manx.<ref name="DBH" />  Although this early design was critically acclaimed, even featured on the April 1967 cover of ''[[Car & Driver]]'' magazine, and drew much attention, it proved too expensive to be profitable; ultimately only 12 kits of the monocoque Manx were produced. 

Amateur racers Meyers and a friend broke the Ensenada&nbsp;&ndash; La Paz record of 39 hours by four hours, until then held by a professional racer.<ref name="DBH" /> According to James Hale, compiler of the ''Dune Buggy Handbook'', the win ushered in an era of Meyers Manx "domination in off-road events ... and the formation of NORRA (National Off-Road Racing Association)".<ref name="DBH" />

==B. F. Meyers & Co.==
The commercially manufactured '''Meyers Manx Mk I''' featured an open-wheeled [[fiberglass]] bodyshell, to be coupled by its purchaser with the Volkswagen Type 1 [[flat-four engine]] (1.2&nbsp;L, 1.3&nbsp;L, 1.5&nbsp;L and 1.6&nbsp;L, in different models) and a modified{{how?|date=February 2024}} [[RR layout|RR-layout]] Beetle pan. It is a small car, with a [[wheelbase]] {{convert|14+1/4|in|cm}} shorter than a Beetle automobile for lightness and better maneuverability. For this reason, the car is capable of very quick acceleration and good [[Off-road vehicle|off-road]] performance, despite not being [[four-wheel drive]]. The usually street-legal car redefined and filled a recreational and competitive niche that had been essentially invented by the first civilian [[Jeep]] in 1945, and which was later to be overtaken by straddle-ridden, motorcycle-based [[all-terrain vehicle]]s (introduced in 1970) and newer, small and sporty (but usually four-wheel-drive), off-road automobiles.

The commercial Meyers Manx received widespread recognition when it defeated motorcycles, trucks and other cars to win the inaugural 1967 [[Mexican 1000]] race (the predecessor of the [[Baja 1000]]). It crossed automotive press genre and was selected as the cover story for the August 1966 issue of [[Hot Rod (magazine)|''Hot Rod'' Magazine]].

Approximately 6,000 original Manx kits were manufactured, but when the design became popular, many copies (estimated at a quarter of a million worldwide) were made by other companies. Although already patented, Meyers & Co. lost in court to the copiers, the judge rescinding his patent as unpatentable, opening the floodgates to the industry Meyers started.{{citation needed|date=November 2012}}  Since then, numerous vehicles of the general "dune buggy" or "beach buggy" body type, some VW-based, have been produced. An early example was the [[EMPI Imp|Imp]] by EMPI (1968&ndash;1970), which borrowed styling elements from the [[Chevrolet Corvette]] but was otherwise Manx-like. A later 1970s Manx clone was the Dune Runner from Dune Buggy Enterprises in [[Westminster, California]]. The Meyers company attempted to stay ahead of this seemingly unfair competition with the release of the distinctive, and harder-to-copy, '''Meyers Manx Mk II''' design.

B. F. Meyers & Co. also produced other<!--sometimes "Manx"-branded, [??]--> Beetle-based vehicles, including the May 1970 Car & Driver magazine cover [[Sports car|sporty]] '''Manx SR'''  variant (street [[Roadster (automobile)|roadsters]], borrowing some design ideas from the [[Porsche 914]]), the '''Meyers Tow'd''' (sometimes referred to as the "Manx Tow'd", a non-street-legal racing vehicle designed to be towed to the desert or beach), the '''Meyers Tow'dster''' (a street-legal hybrid of the two<ref name="DBH" />{{rp|123}}), and '''Meyers Resorter''' a.k.a. '''Meyers Turista''' (a small recreational or "[[resort]]" vehicle inspired by [[touring motorcycle]]s). The Manx SR2 was a modified SR that was only produced by later manufacturers including Karma Coachworks, Heartland Motors and Manx Motors of MD. While the Tow'd was a minimal off-road racer and the SR/SR2 was a showy roadster, the Tow'dster was a compromise between a dune-capable vehicle and a more utilitarian street rod, and "paved the way for the rail-type buggy that was to dominate the buggy scene following the demise of the traditional Manx-type buggy."<ref name="DBH" />

The company ceased operation in 1971, after financial troubles, including with the [[Internal Revenue Service]];<ref name="DBH" />{{rp|123}} and Bruce Meyers himself had already left his own company by then.<ref name="DBH" /> {{clarify|date=November 2012|reason=But when, and why? CITE A RELIABLE SOURCE.}}

==Meyers Manx, Inc.==
In 2000, Bruce Meyers created a resurgence of interest by founding Meyers Manx, Inc., based in [[Valley Center, California]],<ref name="MMInc">{{cite web|url=http://www.meyersmanx.com |title=Meyers Manx, Inc.: Home of the Manxter 2+2 and Manxter Dualsport Kit Cars |work=Meyersmanx.com |year=2012 |access-date=2012-02-05}}{{full citation needed|date=November 2012|reason=All of these citations to this site are too unspecific, and must be redone as citations to specific webpages there, preferably with links to archives created by WebCite or Wayback.archive.org, since a small business like this could disappear, site and all, at any time.}}</ref> and offering the '''Classic Manx''' series, a limited edition of 100.{{citation needed|date=November 2012}}

In 2002, the '''Manxter 2+2''' and '''Manxter DualSport''' were born. These two new models are modernizations of the original design, but are sized for a full-length Beetle pan (and the DualSport can also be based on a [[Super Beetle]] pan, unlike any other Manx model). Custom versions for higher-power engines and other variations are also available.<ref name="MMInc" />

In the spring of 2009, Meyers re-introduced the shortened wheelbase. Named the {{sic|hide=y|reason=Yes, it is hyphenated, and yes, both words are capitalized.|Kick-Out}} Manx after the last action a surfer performs before reaching the shore, it is available in two models. The '''Kick-Out Manx Traditional''' is an updated version of the original Manx concept, with wider fenders, plus a front-hinged hood providing extra storage and easier access to electricals.<ref name="MMInc" /> The '''Kick-Out Manx {{sic|hide=y|reason=Yes, it has periods (stops, dots) in it.|S.S.}}''' (a.k.a. Kick-Out S.S. Manx) version is much more modern, with headlights flared into the hood, curved windshield, sculpted rear deck cover and twin roll hoops.<ref name="MMInc" />

{{As of|2012}}, no Meyers Manx kits are based on the [[New Beetle]] or other modern Volkswagen cars, only particular original Beetle and Super Beetle models,<ref name="MMInc" /> which are rear-engine and rear-wheel-drive. No Meyers Manx kits are based on front-engine, front-wheel-drive platforms.{{citation needed|date=October 2017}}  [[Aftermarket (automotive)|Aftermarket]] frames are available, designed to duplicate VW chassis dimensions but provide improvements such as more modern or more rugged components.{{citation needed|date=October 2017}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.manxchassis.com/our_products.html|title=manxchassis.com|website=www.manxchassis.com|access-date=2019-04-11}}</ref>

==Meyers Manx, LLC==
On 9 November 2020 it was announced that Bruce and Winnie Meyers had sold their business to [[venture capital]] investment firm Trousdale Ventures, who named automotive designer [[Freeman Thomas]] as CEO.<ref name="fb-nov2020">{{cite web |url=https://www.facebook.com/meyersmanx.official/posts/3376660202369501?__tn__=K-R  |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/facebook/385454094823475/3376660202369501 |archive-date=2022-02-26 |url-access=limited|title=New news here at Meyers Manx!!! |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=9 November 2020 |website=Meyers Manx on Facebook }}{{cbignore}}</ref> The new company would be called Meyers Manx, LLC.

==Electric version==
Meyers Manx 2.0 EV, dual-motor RWD<ref>{{Cite web |title=Meyers Manx Resorter Debuts As $49,000 Neighbourhood EV |url=https://insideevs.com/news/682701/meyers-manx-resorter-nev-debuts-49k-price-tag/ |access-date=2024-02-29 |website=InsideEVs |language=en}}</ref> 202hp BEV, 0-60 in 4.5 seconds, 40 kWh battery 300 mile range.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Manx |first=Meyers |title=Manx 2.0 EV |url=https://meyersmanx.com/pages/manx-2-0-ev |access-date=2024-02-29 |website=Meyers Manx |language=en}}</ref>

Meyers Manx Resorter (LWB [[Neighborhood Electric Vehicle|NEV]]), 4-seater.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Meyers Manx Resorter Debuts As $49,000 Neighbourhood EV |url=https://insideevs.com/news/682701/meyers-manx-resorter-nev-debuts-49k-price-tag/ |access-date=2024-02-29 |website=InsideEVs |language=en}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Baja Bug]]
* [[Cal looker]]
* [[Cal-Style VW]]
* [[Formula Vee]]
* [[Volksrod]]
* [[Citroën Méhari]]
* [[Mini Moke|BMC Mini Moke]]
* [[Fiat 500#Fiat 500 Jolly Ghia|Fiat Ghia Jolly]]
* [[Volkswagen Country Buggy]]
* [[Renault Rodeo]]
* Meyers Manx
* [[Volkswagen Type 181]]


==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{refbegin}}
* [http://www.fourwheeler.com/tv/129_0513_tv_00/index.html Meyers Manx FourWheeler.com documentary]{{Clarify|reason=<nowiki>This is not a proper reference citation. Use Template:Cite web or similar to provide source details. Use <ref...> inline in the article (see WP:CITE) to source the specific facts provided by this reference.</nowiki>|date=November 2012}}
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Meyers Manx}}
* [http://MeyersManx.com/ MeyersManx.com] &ndash; the modern manufacturer's official website
* {{Cite encyclopedia |last=Hale |first=James |date=2013 |title=Meyers Manx (Monocoque) |url={{Google books |EcJBWRPALC4C |pg=PA136 |plainurl=yes}} |encyclopedia=Dune Buggy Handbook |pages=136–137}} Includes detailed technical specs, timeline, and photos.
* {{HAER |survey=CA-2312 |id=ca4136 |title=1964 Meyers Manx, Valley Center, San Diego County, CA |photos=30 |color=4 |dwgs=1 |data=23 |cap=2}}

{{VW}}

[[Category:Kit cars]]
[[Category:Off-road vehicles]]
[[Category:Volkswagen Beetle modifications]]
[[Category:Motor vehicle manufacturers based in California]]
[[Category:Cars powered by boxer engines]]
[[Category:Rear-engined vehicles]]