What's old is new again as the Meyers Manx dune buggy of the 1960s is back for the electric era. The small recreational vehicle used to have a shortened chassis borrowed from the Volkswagen Beetle, but this new version has no VW connections. Consequently, it's not related to that rad ID. Buggy concept we saw back in 2019. The new EV with its one-piece body shell has been designed by Freeman Thomas who also penned the original version.
Officially known as the Meyers Manx 2.0 Electric, the zero-emissions buggy comes from Trousdale Ventures. It acquired the Meyers Manx company from founder Bruce Meyers in 2020, only several months before he passed away aged 94. It's unclear whether that's a fiberglass body like the original had, but the overall design has remaines faithful to its ancestor.
2023 Meyers Manx 2.0 Electric
The electric buggy will be offered with 20.0- and 40.0-kWh batteries providing 150 and 300 miles (241 and 483 kilometers) of range, respectively. Power will be provided by a pair of electric motors mounted at the rear to help the cutesy vehicle sprint with the 40-kWh pack to 60 mph in around four and a half seconds. It will be among the lightest EVs on the market, with weight varying between 1,500 to 1,650 pounds (680 to 750 kilograms) depending on the battery size.
With the bigger battery fitted, the Meyers Manx 2.0 Electric will deliver a combined 202 horsepower and as much as 240 pound-feet (325 Newton-meters) of instant torque. Heading to The Quail Motorsports Gathering event, the electric buggy will be offered in 50 units for the 2023 model year before availability will be expanded from 2024.
Each one will have disc brakes at both front and rear axles along with an electric parking brake, windshield wipers, regenerative braking, and electric power steering. It's even going to support over-the-air updates as the company wants to improve the EV based on feedback received from early adopters.
Pricing details have not been disclosed, but reservations will open during the Monterey Car Week later this month.
