Javillac
The history of the beach buggy has its own name, that of Bruce Meyers. Born in Los Angeles, California in 1926, He was one of the pioneers to become interested in the world of surfing., although he had to put this hobby aside to fight for his country during World War II, at which time he became a true hero.
After the conflict he became interested in the world of sailing boats, and also had a hot rod, living the pure California dream. But thanks to his interest in the world of automobiles and Together with his knowledge of working with the new fiberglass thanks to his experience with boats, he would create a car that would become synonymous with the beach and fun.
1964: MEYERS MANX IS BORN
It took a year for Bruce Meyers to finish perfecting his creation. Between 1963 and May 1964 he worked on a car that he would dress with a fiberglass body designed by himself., while the chassis and mechanics were from an old Volkswagen Beetle. Although the first units anchored the components directly to the structure created by Meyers.
He named the result “Old Red”, and although his idea was to create a car that was perfect for move through the sand of beaches and dunes with ease He wanted to give the vehicle an artistic touch clearly inspired by the hot rod movement of the sixties.
The small but reliable engine of the Volkswagen It was ideal for this task, since, added to the light fiberglass body, it could advance where other off-road vehicles were stuck, something they demonstrated by winning an off-road race of more than 1967 kilometers through the deserts of Baja California in 1.300. In addition, another advantage of using this material was that it avoided the rust so common in beach areas. and the sand left inside after a day at the beach could be cleaned more easily.
A DREAM TURNED INTO A NIGHTMARE
Meyers managed to turn his idea into a business and thus founded the company Meyers Manx, but as is often the case with some of the most ingenious figures in the history of the automobile, he was not a great businessman. He did not file a patent for his creation, and by the end of the sixties there were already dozens of companies that produced their own buggies, and after the court ruled against him in 1969, Bruce Meyers ceased operations in 1970 after 7.000 kits were made.
For years he was very disenchanted with his creation and did not want to know anything about beach buggies, until in the nineties he reappeared on the scene of this particular automobile culture, even organizing rallies for these cars. But the big news came in 2000 when he resumed manufacturing Meyers Manx until he decided to sell his company in 2020. for health reasons and passed away shortly after in 2021.
Since its creation in 1964, it is estimated that they have been manufactured all over the world. more than 250.000 buggies, and Bruce Meyers has the privilege of being one of the few people who have created an automobile category. Fortunately, at the end of his life he was able to reconcile with his creation and today at LA ESCUDERÍA we want to pay tribute to the man who created a car that has fun in its DNA.
Volkswagen and Meyers Manx images.
