Hot VWs Magazine December 2024 Edition is Out Now!

Hot VWs Magazine December 2024: Mayers Manx at 60 From Beaches to Baja

On the cover: Three days on the trail... Rubicon was a brutal adventure. (Photo: Shin Watanabe)

Vintage Vibes
With its vibrant 1970s-style graphics and the growl of a Corvair engine, John McBeath’s Manx buggy is more than a tribute to the past—it’s a time machine. And at the heart of this retro creation is the collaboration of John and world-renowned VW builder Dave “Pip” Pipoly of The Compound.

Rock and Roll
If I had known the entire route and how difficult it would be to drive, I would never have joined this adventure. It was one of the toughest challenges I’ve ever experienced (even though I didn’t drive) in my VW life. It was an unforgettable opportunity to be part of a wild adventure: driving Volkswagen-powered dune buggies through the Rubicon Trail.

A Bright Feature
The late and beloved Bruce Meyers sold his well-known business in 2020. What has happened since? As this year marks the 60th anniversary of the Meyers-designed Manx, we decided to stop by Meyers Manx, LLC’s headquarters to find out. It turns out the company has expanded greatly!

Celebrating the Meyers Manx 60th Anniversary
The Manx Club took over Big Bear Lake again, celebrating Meyers Manx Buggy’s 60-Year Anniversary.

Honoring the Oldest Type 34
Volkswagen built three types of Karmann Ghia: the Type 14, the Type 34, and the TC in Brazil. The Type 34, VW’s most expensive and fastest sports model, was produced from 1962 to ‘69. The oldest known is chassis #0 001 200, and this is the story of how a team of friends restored it to perfection.

Buggy Wonder Years Part 21
The Berry Mini-T Corporation produced a handful of interesting VW-powered fiberglass vehicles circa 1970, with the wildest being the C-Cab inspired by a commercial version of the Ford Model T. Digging through our archives, we found a handful of unpublished color slides…

Orange Bug Beachside Festival
If you’re a hardcore VW enthusiast, there’s a must-see event you may not have heard about yet—the Orange Bug Beach Festival. While Germany may be the birthplace of Volkswagen, the Far East has developed its own unique Volkswagen culture, and we’re here to take you to one of Japan’s premier air-cooled events, which should be on the bucket list of all VW fans.

Riding Out The Storm
The promoters had everything set. One of the biggest VW event weekends in Texas was ready to roll, and we were looking forward to returning to it. However, a huge thunderstorm hit the Dallas/Fort Worth area just one week before the meet, causing the venue to close. The organizer didn’t give up…

Lost in the Rust
In the rolling hills of northeastern Pennsylvania lived a man whose passion for VWs surpassed anything most of us could fathom. Imagine if you had the money and means to collect nearly every model of air-cooled Volkswagen. Many of you have seen YouTube videos of people claiming to find a forest of abandoned Beetles. The truth is both amazing and controversial.

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