We are at the beginning of the 60s and in California a young surfer, passionate boat builder and graduate of the Art Center School of Los Angeles, imagines being able to build a simple vehicle suitable for cruising on the coastal dunes and - where permitted - on the beaches .
Photo story The car symbol of joy and freedom is born in California - Photo - Ansa.it
From the first drawings, and from the idea of using a chassis complete with suspensions, engine and gearbox (that of the Beetle, which is also very popular among wreckers, we move on to the construction of an original bodywork, strictly open and strictly in fibreglass, the material used for the charges.
The invention is called Manx and is an unprecedented dune buggy (literally buggy for the dunes), light, irreverent and capable of performing acrobatics on the sand. It was signed by Bruce F Meyers who - he specified this in a 2009 interview - he started from the observation that many Californian dismantlers had real stacks of complete Beetle chassis.
The Manx was thus officially presented in 1964, exactly 60 years ago, and won over everyone - including the first customers who bought just the fiberglass body and a few other parts made by Meyers to assemble them in the garage at home - for the flat floor, for the very compact longitudinal arm suspension, for the reduced weight and for the rear arrangement of the engine which allowed driving in constant countersteering.
Meyers called the original first dune buggy Old Red and described how he created the design in a 2012 interview. "I'm an artist and I wanted to bring a sense of movement to the Manx. The dune buggies had to send a clear message: create fun ".
And he added: "the top of the front fenders had to be flat to hold a couple of beers, the sides had to be high enough to keep mud and sand away from the eyes. And everything had to be compatible with the mechanics of the Beetle. Then I added a feminine form and that spirit of adventure that I desired."
After copyrighting the design and opening the company BF Meyers & Co, the young Californian surfer began selling his kit dune buggy (it was the second generation easier to build) which cost $535.
And in 1966 the original Manx took part in an 'extreme' off-road test in Mexico trying to cover the 1533.2 km - which included various desert areas - that divide Tijuana from La Paz in the shortest time possible.
Meyers himself succeeded, who together with co-pilot Ted Mangels took only 34 hours and 45 minutes (the previous record was 39 hours) and the result on the course of what has now become the famous Baja 1000 race skyrocketed the fame of the Manx.
Meyers closed his direct business in 1971 after having produced and sold approximately 6,000 of his now iconic dune buggies, with customers such as Steve McQueen and Elvis Presley.
In that period, there were also many 'imitators' who according to estimates - infringing Meyers' copyright - produced around 300,000 'dune buggies' inspired by the Manx.
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