When the automotive industry was first founded many years ago it was all about providing transportation. People wanted a vehicle that would help them get around faster and assist them with their jobs and chores. Later, other vehicles were invented like sports cars and muscle cars where people had more fun and enjoyment driving. Some vehicles made a good impression on American automotive industry such as the “Meyers Manx”, a dune buggy created by Bruce Meyers in 1964 (Webster).
Bruce Meyers developed the fiberglass dune buggy called the Meyers Manx.
Bruce decided to make the Manx after seeing a “water pumper” at Pismo Beach, CA. The “water pumper” was a heavy and crude version of a dune buggy. Bruce thought that he could make a light weight version that would be great on the beach and in the world of off-road racing, specifically at the Baja. Bruce succeeded in his goal by modifying a VW Kombi bus, popularly known as “Little Red Riding Bus”, which was equipped with wider rims and tires.
He used his knowledge on boat building to make the body of the dune buggy using fiberglass.
His first Meyers Manx design was named “old red” (“Our History”). History Bruce Meyers was born in Los Angeles, California. In 1944, he served at the Navy where he survived an attack in Okinawa. After the war, he stayed in Tahiti where he spent his time building sailboats made of fiberglass. He then moved to Newport Beach, working on surfboards and boats, and trekking to Baja, Mexico.
His knowledge on fiberglass and boat building greatly helped in building his own vehicles such as the Meyers Manx.
When he first saw a dune buggy, he decided to re-design it into something that would not look like an old jeep. Additionally, his dune buggy would also be an efficient vehicle for travel (Webster). In August 1966, Hot Rod – “everybody’s automotive magazine”, featured Bruce’s VW Beetle engine-powered dune buggy. The naked Beetle floorpan that he saw at Pismo Beach was now covered with lightweight fiberglass body. Everybody went crazy over it and words about Meyers Manx spread. His creation became popular reaching for about 6,000 vehicles of production (Temple).
Meyers Manx has been the most imitated car in the automotive history. Hundreds of companies have tried copying Meyers Manx, while others tried reshaping the fiberglass. There were over 250,000 look a likes and near look a likes of Bruce’s buggy. Despite that, the uniqueness of Bruce’s dune buggy remains a trend. “When you create something with an original thought, and grace, and a sense of balance in its form and function, it’s timeless,” Bruce quoted on Hot Rod magazine (Temple).
The imitation by various companies, both from US and Europe, caused a crash in profitability of Meyers Manx. This opened the automotive market for other companies showcasing their buggy designs such as the Simca-based Shake buggy created by Carrozzeria Bertone. Buggy then became an influential vehicle especially in motor shows and as recreational vehicles (Hale 10. Pismo and nearby beaches has been the center for recreational activities for South Californians. People are used to drive over the sands with their jeeps. However, the usual jeeps were not as efficient as the buggy designed by Bruce Meyers.
It is considerably lightweight with better tires and lighter body structure (Webster). The influence of Meyers Manx has reached as far as Europe. This buggy which can travel even through the desert dunes is designed in such a way that even the youth would enjoy riding on it. It has been especially designed as off-road vehicle; but many were more astonished by its ability after winning the Mexican 1000. Even if it was patterned after the Beetle, Bruce Meyers did not fail in modernizing its design; not just a durable one, but also the stylish and sleek structure (Hale 8).
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