Beach weather is here, so it’s time to investigate this 1960 Volkswagen Dune Buggy, here on eBay, in a no-reserve auction bid to just $5500. It runs and drives well, so you can motor it home from Brooklyn, New York, where it probably feels like a fish out of water. The dune buggy phenomenon started slowly, with one-off alterations of Volkswagens – but sometimes Corvairs and other makes – destined to surf the sand. In the early 1950s, EMPI organized the buggy party a bit by producing sheet-metal kits to turn a VW into a kind of rough-and-ready rider known as the Sportster. Then in the 1960s, Bruce Meyers parlayed his knowledge of fiberglass to create the Manx, and the buggy trend took off. This car is built on a 1960 VW platform, carrying the title from its donor car.
This buggy sports a Type 3 air-cooled four-cylinder engine displacing 1600 cc’s. It has a new EMPI carburetor and the brakes have been rebuilt. The seller notes that the four-speed transmission performs well, and the car runs as well as any VW he has owned. Looks like he had a cookie cuttin’ party just prior to the buggy’s photo shoot; maybe check those tires! No explanation is given for the Vermont plates, but this sale could be a relocation story. It’s tough to use a dune buggy in Brooklyn.
The interior is an appropriately beachy combination of sea blue and white. Staining on the seats may respond to a thorough cleaning, but if the discoloration is stubborn, changing out the seat covers shouldn’t be too tough. The white roll bar is a great look with the white bumper bar. The lights and gauges are all in working order. No mention is made of a top, though the snaps for attaching one are present.
The underside is as simple as they come, with all the workings tucked into the buggy’s back end. If a buyer was really picky, the undercarriage could absorb a day or so of elbow grease, but then would it ever see the beach again? Buggy prices generally sit considerably north of the current bid, ranging from about $12k on the low end, up into the $20k area for buggies with some real history. Manx prices can reach into the $40k region. though our seller is careful to say that his buggy only looks like a Manx. Anyone willing to enter the fray to win this fun and simple ride?
“Cookie”? Unsupported “roll” bar.
About 99.9% of all of those had no supported roll bar nor seatbelts of any kind!
Black rubber ‘donuts’ on the pavement not cookies.
https://youtu.be/iiYj9Ods4OQ
Not a good selling point. Telling engine displacement and estimated curb weight, buyers can decide themselves if that’s enough power. 1600cc in a dune buggy makes the abuse of the clutch, rings and tires unnecessary.
Now I understand. The base is a 1960, the body is mid-sixties.
$7,000 now, ends tonight, 58 bids but only 16 bidders.
Unless you’re already in NYC, $7k is already close to top of the mark. I wonder if drinking on weekends is helpful to better bids? Versus timing an auction for ending Monday morning. You want a lot of eyes at the end. Fireworks stealing attention tonight in lots of places.
this is real tempting but as we are in the process of moving to the beaches of NC. I think I will have to pass.
Current tires set up for street piddling. Anyone rural with property accessible only via dirt roads anywhere, this fits. But you better get wider tires in back. You shouldn’t be able to catch a scratch on dry pavement if the tires are wide enough for off-road applications. Not a good plan to show abuse of a car you’re selling. Some people never learn. I would be cautious in my offer, leaving room for clutch and rings.
How do any of you think a car with 60 horse power did those donuts?
HAHAHAHA.
Goodluck not scattering the thing.
Sold $73,000, 61 bids.
That should be 7300.00
Oooops, the beer is flowing!!
Nice deal. Enjoy fixing your way…white seats& steering wheel, with some cheater slicks out back& I’m done…