Iconic Meyers Manx Classic Dune Buggy Kit Updated After 50 Years
You still need to source your own Volkswagen Beetle chassis, engine, transmission, and suspension.
If you have visions of driving a drop-top dune buggy on the sunny beaches of California, it's probably a Meyers Manx you're envisioning. The Meyers Manx Dune Buggy was the original build-your-own buggy kit back in the 1960s and pioneered off-road racing. It's finally been remastered for the modern era. It still requires a donor Volkswagen Beetle chassis and whichever sort of engine you decide to use but the new Meyers Manx Remastered Kit is said to make building your own buggy easier than ever.
Meyers Manx used 3D modeling and CNC tech to remaster the iconic Dune Buggy kit with more precision than was ever possible back in the '60s. For the first time ever, the Dune Buggy kit also comes with new features, such as a lockable rear trunk, an easily removable dashboard, integrated wiring tubes for neater installation, and new gel-coat colors, available in both solid and metal flake.
The base kit comes with just the body, which has all of the aforementioned features. So you still need to source your own chassis, engine, gearbox, and suspension. However, Meyers Manx also sells additional components, like a gas tank, body mounts for the engine and chassis, bumpers, a roll bar, and even a sidewinder exhaust, among many other things.
Just the base kit costs $5,995, which comes with any of the 18 solid gel-coat colors included. If you want a metal flake color, it's an additional $1,000, for any of the 46 available colors. If you want a UV clear coat, to protect your paint from fading in the sun, it'll cost you an additional $800. Any of the aforementioned additional parts also cost extra, plus the cost of a donor chassis, powertrain, and suspension.
This kit is for the classic Meyers Manx Dune Buggy, which means the donor Beetle chassis needs to be shortened to fit. However, if you want something that can fit on a normal Beetle chassis, you can opt for the Maxster 2+2, which comes with everything you need (aside from the chassis, suspension, and powertrain) for $17,000 and the ability to sit two extra people. But if you want something that's a little less hands-on and ready to drive right out of the box, you can wait for the Manx 2.0 EV, which is a fully electric version with its own sealed electric powertrain and an estimated 300 miles of range.
There really aren't many do-it-yourself car kits anymore. Caterham and Ariel will still set you such kits but that's really about it. If you want the classic dune buggy kit, the one that you've doubtlessly seen in classic movies and advertisements, but with a more modern twist, the Meyers Manx Remaster Kit is the one you want.
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