The Manx invasion is in full swing on the Outer Banks. That would be the Manx on the Banks . . . the Meyers Manx . . . the original and still considered the best dune buggy ever made.
An annual gathering of the lovers of these remarkable machines, there seems to be as many as 150 of them zipping around Nags Head and up to Corolla. Beautifully colored, sleekly beautiful in a very utilitarian way, the Meyers Manx was and is the brainchild of Bruce Meyers.
A genius with fiberglass design, Meyers was in love with the sea, the beach and he was seeing early dune buggies trying to navigate the sand and roads around his native Pismo Beach in Southern California. He figured if he dropped a fiberglass frame on an existing chassis he would have a lighter weight, more maneuverable vehicle.
And he was right.
The prototype hit the street in 1964 and 7000 fiberglass bodies were produced for the VW chassis that was their base. Meyers closed up shop in 1971 after an unsuccessful court battle to stop design infringement. The consensus is that none of the imitators ever matched MeyersâåÛåª ability to blend function, form and performance.
In his 80s now, Meyers is back in business producing an expanded line of fiberglass bodies to for the next generation of dune buggies.
