Meyers Manx

[draggon]

I just pre-ordered this from Model Express, so I'd like your feedback. Buggys, esp. the Manx, were a big part of the 60's California scene, especially at the beach and on the dunes. So what do you guys think? I have a HotRod mag from about that time that calls them "the New roadsters" I am thinking the glitter metalflake gel coat, white tuck-n-roll buckets and interior, Cragars or Slots, those freakin wide Firestones that appeared on showcars of the late 60's, and a super hot VW mill with dual Webers and headers.

[robtrat]

Grooooovy Baby!

[draggon]

Whoot Whoot maybe I'll get one of the twelve that come molded in metalflakey plastic!

[ChrisV]

The Manx definitely fits the time-frame, but not so much the traditional rod/kustom/race car part... Nonetheless, I still plan to get a bunch of these - Also hoping to get one of the Flake-o-delic "treasure hunt" kits

[cycolacfan]

Uh oh, it's the hot rodded Volkswagens debate again!

(just kidding...)

Probably do mine like McQueen's one in The Thomas Crown Affair.

[tjfenske]

How about a home for all those Parts Pack Corvair engines ?

[robtrat]

The Manx is traditional because it was there in the mid to late 60's, maybe not many in all parts of the country, but on the coasts they were everywhere, especially in Florida and California, where they were 'the way' to kustomize a bug. Dune buggies were so common, not something like taking the fenders off (likely done by a very few) but really everywhere.

[ddlova]

this is one of those deals where even though they may have existed during "traditional" times and within the year cut-off of these forums i think it's going to be very hard to build one in a way that looks or feels "right" for these forums. both the Empi Imp and the Meyers Manx just scream 70's to me, much in the same way that tunnel rams and fat Mickey Thompson Indy Profile's do. i have the feeling that to build one in a way or style that would be acceptable here would bring the same compromise that the Volksrods do and all the mixed feelings as well. i'm a big fan of the Cal-look style VW's from the 60's and 70's but i'd never consider posting something like that here. although there is a good argument that they were around in the 60's and no doubt being hot rodded i don't think they were really ever a part of the hot rod scene.

[cycolacfan]

I think some metalflake, early Cragars / Radirs and the correct tyres would say 60s to me, pretty sure they made the cover of RnC pre 1970...

[Dennis]

For the sake of being honest and not with intention of offending anyone...

When I think "hot rod" or "custom" a Volkswagon or any kit car that uses Volkswagon components does not enter my brain for even a fraction of a second. As far as I'm concerned, they are in a totally different catagory regardless of what was published in Hot Rod magazine.

The only exception is a 60's altered race car where the only thing VW is a body shell hung over a front-engine tubular race car chassis. That is no different than a Bantam or old Ford coupe body utilized in the same way.

[RodBurNeR]

I kinda let this thread ride out to see what everyone thinks. I agree with everyone on most points. I have never had one of these kits....maybe I will get one and never build it? (kidding cuz I never seem to finish anything)
I know vw's and buggies were in the magazines back in the day....so somehow they are relative to what we do here. I also don't think of beach toys as daily drivers worthy of calling rod or kustom....or even race car.
I won't say NO to Meyer's Manx if posted.....as long as it's within guidelines. I don't know a lot about these buggies, but I do know pretty well what post 69 looks like.
To me, this kit falls into the category of show rod. We accept a good chunk of showrods here if they are creations of famous kustomizers that don't have a "theme" such as jail bars and coffins etc..
As evidence, check this link to see when the kit was available...
www.showrods.com/showrod_pages/meyers_manx.html

Just because it was available, does not make it TRaKable.....but I wanted to use the date as reference to look at the styling of the buggy. Allowing this kit here doesn't make it OK to post other buggies...you will still need to check the "is it TRaKable" section for approval.

[Deleted]

It's a fiberglass bodied "kit car" in 1:1(one of the first). Very popular at the time because old VW bugs were cheap to get and they were fun to build and drive but as I see it those were more of a fad than a tradition. Just my 2 cents .

[RodBurNeR]

Very good point! Tradition vs. Fad.....but still, buggies are built this way today as to carry on a vibe or tradition of sorts that came about in the late 60's right?

[robtrat]

Where I grew up, within a mile of the Pacific, they were often daily drivers, personalized (kustomized) with flames, pin-stripes, and other do it yer-self graphics, and wheels, all kinds of late 60's wheels, and hop-up parts, every thing that makes it fit here. Hell, at my late 60's service station job I'd often fill-up a dozen or so each weekend, and no, not everybody in the country had this experience, but it was more than a fad, more like a way to make an affordable car into a hotrod, this wide world of hotrodding has many traditions!

[Koolkat]

Are they a hot rod? Not really. Are they a kustom? Not really. Not drag either.

I agree this is in a similar classification as many show rods, ski boats, Indy cars, etc., all of which were shown in the old pre-70 hot rod and custom mags. Well, I like all of these just listed, except the 'silly' show rods, but based upon how the previously mentioned have been hashed out - this isn't really the place for them. But, I'd still like to see boats and Indy type race cars here, maybe even pre-60 Nascar...... If those were permitted, I would say yes to dune buggies... in the name of consistency.

Then of course there's the Cushenbery dune buggy....

With the biased focus here, for the most part, it's just hot rods, customs, and drag racing.