The Manx 2.0 Electric from Meyers Manx is an updated version of the famous dune buggy from the 1960s. The electric buggy was the first vehicle designed by the current administration. They took over the company right after the original designer, Bruce Meyers, died. The 40.0-kWh battery is the biggest of the two choices. It has a range of 300 miles, 202 horsepower, and up to 240 pound-feet of torque. In April 1967, we put the first Meyers Manx on the cover of Car & Driver. It passed our road test because it was “all things to all men.” Meyers Manx was “more soul-freeing, leaping, bounding, uninhibited fun than anything else they’ve done. ever driven—on or off the road.” The well-known dune car is being rethought for 2023, and the goal is to be all of these things and more. The Manx 2.0 Electric, shown off Monday night, is just as fun off-road as the original, but it runs on batteries instead of gas. The Manx 2.0 resembles the original, with a rough yet sensual shape. However, the back of the new model is closed to keep the electric motors cool, giving it a more expensive look. There isn’t a Volkswagen Beetle engine cooled by air sticking out of the back. The Manx 2.0 has the same monocoque chassis as the original. This makes it light (the heaviest 2.0 is said to weigh 1650 pounds) and strong on rough terrain. It also has an independent back suspension and regenerative braking, which should handle most of the braking load. The Manx 2.0 will have two battery choices for the inside: A 20 kWh battery with a range of 150 miles and a 40 kWh battery with a range of 300 miles. Those are some big claims, considering that a Chevy Bolt EV needs a 66.0 kWh battery to get an EPA range estimate of 259 miles. That means the Manx gets about 225 MPGe, almost 100 MPGe more than the rear-drive Tesla Model 3, which reaches 132 MPGe and is currently the most efficient E.V. on the market. Yes, the Manx is smaller and lighter, but it’s knobby tires and open cabin will make it less aerodynamic. The more considerable battery choice has two motors producing up to 202 horsepower and 240 pound-feet of torque. This lets you go from 0 to 60 mph in about 4.5 seconds. The company hasn’t said anything about how much power the smaller battery has. The motor, engine, brakes, and inverter will be built into a single unit. Freeman Thomas, the CEO of Meyers Manx, says that the Manx 2.0 will have options like A/C and heat and a bright screen once it gets to more people. The first 50 buggies will be sent out in 2023 as part of a trial test. Phillip Sarofim, a venture investor and Manx fan, bought Meyers Manx in 2020, and Thomas became the company’s CEO. Thomas made the New Beetle and many other essential cars like the first idea for the Audi TT. Bruce, and Winnie Meyers sold Meyers Manx to Sarofim before Bruce Meyers died in 2021 at age 94. Freeman says the two want to “carry on his legacy into the future.” It makes an impact that lasts. Bruce Meyers had more experience making sailboats and surfboards. Still, when he turned a Volkswagen Beetle into a dune buggy in his Newport Beach, California, workshop in 1964, he almost single-handedly started the kit dune buggy craze. It became well-known quickly after breaking the time record for a run from Tijuana, Mexico, to La Paz over rough, dry land. In 1967, when the race was set up for the first Baja 1000, also called the Mexican 1000, the winner was the Meyers Manx. On the other hand, an electric Manx has a past. In the year 2000, Bruce Meyers brought back the Meyers Manx name. In 2014, he worked with Rev-TEC, a company that makes batteries in Las Vegas, to make the electric prototype Manx V. The V could go as fast as 64 miles per hour and had 86.3 horsepower—the 2019 Volkswagen I.D. Based on the original Manx, the Buggy design also joined in the fun. The Meyers Manx has come a long way since we put it on our cover all those years ago. With the release of the Manx 2.0, it’s clear that, even though the auto business is changing, the Manx still has a lot of fans.
