Stand out from the crowd
Now here’s a trivia question for you: What was the highest price ever paid for a VW-based beach buggy? It was US$456,000 for a modified Meyer Manx, back in early 2020. Not just any Manx, but one used in the movie The Thomas Crown Affair, starring Steve McQueen and Faye Dunaway.
McQueen oversaw extensive modifications to the machine, replacing the original Volkswagen engine with a flat six out of a Chevrolet Corvair.
There was a time, say the 1960s through to the 1980s, when a Volkswagen Beetle-based dune buggy, or beach buggy, was a very cool thing to have and surprisingly popular.
We’d be reluctant to put numbers on it, but there seemed to be a steady local mini industry building the things, and a larger and more vibrant equivalent in the USA. They seem to have all but disappeared, which is a shame.
However there are some survivors and this one luxuriates in the brand name Fibre Fab Rat!
The running gear includes a 1600 VW engine with some recent work done to it. Located in Redland Bay, Qld, it’s on the market for $29,990.