Meyers Manx 2.0 EV Modernizes the Iconic Dune Buggy for $74,000

The Manx 2.0 Electric, created by Meyers Manx, is an updated version of the popular 1960s dune buggy.

The first vehicle created by the current management, who took over the organisation just before original designer Bruce Meyers passed away, is the electric buggy.

The larger of the two alternatives, the 40.0-kWh battery, claims to have a 300-mile range and has 202 horsepower and up to 240 pound-feet of torque.

UPDATE 8/22/23: Meyers Manx has revealed the Manx 2.0 EV’s initial starting price, which is $74,000. The base price of the recently unveiled Resorter NEV, which has a top speed of 25 mph, is $49K. On the Meyers Manx website, the business is now taking $500 deposits on both models.

We prominently displayed the first Meyers Manx on the cover of Car & Driver’s April 1967 issue. It passed our road test with the adage “all things to all men.” We said that the Meyers Manx was the one vehicle they could all agree upon and that it was “more soul-freeing, leaping, bounding, uninhibited fun than anything else they’ve ever driven—on or off the road.”

After 55 years, the cherished dune buggy is being redesigned for 2023 with the goal of being all that and more. The Manx 2.0 Electric, which was unveiled Monday evening, offers all the same off-road adventure as the original, but with battery power.

The Manx 2.0’s design closely resembles that of the original with a rugged yet sensuous form, but the enclosed back to cool the electric motors gives the new model a more upscale appearance than the original. There isn’t a Volkswagen Beetle air-cooled engine dangling out the back.

The Manx 2.0 maintains the monocoque chassis tradition of the original, keeping it light (the heaviest 2.0 is reportedly 1650 pounds) and robust on difficult terrain. Additionally, it has regenerative braking, which should handle the majority of the braking load, and independent rear suspension.

Two battery options will be available for the Manx 2.0’s interior: a 20.0-kWh battery with a stated 150-mile range and a 40.0-kWh battery with a claimed 300-mile range. Given that a Chevy Bolt EV requires a 66.0 kWh battery to reach a 259-mile EPA range rating, those are rather bold promises. That would also translate to a Manx efficiency of around 225 MPGe, or nearly 100 MPGe more than the 132 MPGe rear-drive Tesla Model 3, the most efficient EV on the market right now. Yes, the Manx is significantly lighter, but it also has knobby tyres, and the open cabin is going to hurt its aerodynamics. The bigger battery option features two motors that can provide up to 240 pound-feet of torque and 202 horsepower, which should allow you to reach 60 mph in about 4.5 seconds. The business has not yet disclosed power specifications for the smaller battery. One unit will house the gearbox, brakes, inverter, and motor.

The motor of the Manx 2.0 was connected to a battery pack.

The Manx 2.0 will be available with a range of choices like A/C and heat, as well as a smart screen, once it reaches a wider audience, according to Meyers Manx CEO Freeman Thomas. The initial batch, which will consist of only 50 buggies, will ship in 2023 as part of a beta programme.

Thomas joined Meyers Manx as CEO in 2020 after the company was purchased by venture financier and Manx fan Phillip Sarofim. Thomas is the designer of the New Beetle as well as other notable vehicles, such as the original Audi TT concept. Before Bruce Meyers passed away in 2021 at the age of 94, Sarofim purchased Meyers Manx from him and Winnie Meyers. Now, the couple, according to Freeman, wants to “carry his legacy into the future.”

It leaves a strong legacy. When Bruce Meyers decided in 1964 to convert a Volkswagen Beetle into a dune buggy in his Newport Beach, California, workshop, he nearly single-handedly launched the kit dune buggy craze despite having more experience building sailboats and surfboards. After it beat the timed record for a run over rugged, arid terrain from Tijuana, Mexico, to La Paz, it soon gained notoriety. The Meyers Manx was declared the winner when the route was set up as the first-ever Baja 1000, also known as the Mexican 1000, in 1967.

However, there is also a history to an electric Manx. In 2000, Bruce Meyers brought the Meyers Manx brand back to life. In 2014, he teamed up with the Las Vegas-based battery manufacturer Rev-TEC to develop the Manx V, an electric prototype. The V’s top speed was 64 mph and it had 86.3 horsepower. Volkswagen joined in the fun with their I.D. Buggy 2019 concept, which was inspired by the original Manx.

The Meyers Manx has undoubtedly travelled quite a distance since we featured it on our cover all those years ago. With the introduction of the Manx 2.0, it is evident that, despite the direction the auto industry has taken, the Manx continues to captivate aficionados.

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