Dune Buggy

The first dune buggy, the Meyers Manx, was designed and produced by Bruce Meyers in Fountain Valley, California, USA, between 1963 and 1971. It debuted in 1964.

The car featured a fiberglass body coupled with Volkswagen Beetle frame and engine. It is a tiny car, with a wheelbase 14 1/4 inches shorter than a Beetle so the frame has to be cut short and welded. It is so small and light and is capable of very quick acceleration and good off-road performance.

The Meyers Manx achieved widespread recognition when it won the inaugural Baja 1000 and beat a motorcycle while doing it.

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. Many companies, worldwide, have copied the Manx. Over 300 buggy styles have been created and are still being made today.

Most of these styles were very similar to the Manx, and are known as clones. However, even these clones have distinctions that enable someone to decipher its original manufacturer. The most popular buggy styles are those seen on TV like Wonderbug and Speed Buggy. Some dune buggies resemble production, modified or prototype cars. For instance: American Fiberglass Product’s “Humbug” has similar features to a classic Corvette, Berry’s “Mini-T” was a nod to the Ford Model T, or BMB Automotive’s “Surviver” is a scaled down version of the military prototype vehicle Lamborghini Cheetah.

Many people frequently acquire a dune buggy and attempt to identify its original manufacturer and model name. This wiki will attempt to identify as many make, model and manufacturers of dune buggies as possible to aid in buggy identification.