Manx Club

I offered to pick up a early Meyers Manx on behalf of Club Member Marc Frisicaro of Buffalo, New York. Marc had been dreaming of buying this Manx ever since last year's Manx on the Banx, but the asking price was simply too high. Eventually, Marc negotiated a price that he and the seller could live with, and now it was time to get it home. I really wanted to see this car as I'd heard nothing but good things about. It is an early square license plate version of which not too many were made. They were the first of the shortened floorpan models that immediately followed the monocoque, but I've only seen a couple of them in the 20 years I've been collecting buggies. Bill Schuster has a nice lime green one, and I'm struggling to think who has the blue one I've seen . . . Richard Brown in Louisiana, maybe? Anyways, this car was the demo buggy built by a gentleman named Doug who owned El Tejon Garage in Bakersfield, CA, and who also sold Manx kits and turnkey buggies as a Meyers Manx Dealer. This was his personal car, which he parked in 1984 and hadn't driven since. It has to be pretty rare to buy a Manx from the original owner! Anyway, Marc can fill in the details I've missed . . Here's the Buggy:

Here's Doug next to his Manx



It was covered when I got there, but still plenty dusty after years of sitting in this carport:



Even under all of that grime, you could tell the ge lcoat was in terrific shape



Once I got it home, I washed it to see what the gelcoat looked like . . .WOW! I'm amazed that it looks like new. Here's some cleaned up shots. I just washed it, but the gelcoat had been dried off in these pics.













Even the plate 60's era plates look new!





Metalflake green steering wheel is a nice touch. ABS dash is flawless



For those that think the gelcoat must have faded over the years . . . I removed the plate to compare the surrounding gelcoat to the area hidden by the sun NO DIFFERENCE!







It is completely original and has all of the cool features found on the early Manxes, like Bruce's handmade "Showerdoor" windshield.



Not a scratch on it, and the lowered stock VW seats are nice too.



The thin solid steel bumper



I forgot to take a photo of it . . . But it also has the chrome turning / parking brake accessory. Well, that's about it today. I was burning daylight when I started cleaning it and taking these pics. Don't worry Marc, it'll be safe until you get here for Big Bear!

The front bumper is the early Meyers Manx one. I'm pretty sure its tubular but only 3/4" dia. vs. the later 1".

Great find. Mark is the guy who ended up with my classic Manx and did a fantastic job of building it so I know this Manx will be in good hands.

Bob

A good story with a happy ending.

That is the best and most original small tail box Manx I ever seen. Hope I get to see It before it heads to New York. What a find.
I met Marc at Eric and Val's place on the Outer Banks last year. The buggy he had there was awesome too.

Yes, Nelson, You're right. The picture you attached is the same as the front bumper on this car.

Scott, Did Doug non-op it in 84? Is the DMV going to let Marc use the original plates without any fuss? Marc said something about getting it rewired, does it have the VW harness? It looks like it has RGBs, does it? I don't think Marc would mind if the faded Bud-Man came un-stuck.

I've registered several cars that sat for years. No problems with DMV. Easy to use original plates.

Hey Nelson. Doug did not non-op it, in fact he had to go to the DMV to get a replacement title. He should be able to reuse the plats and he has front and back. They should waive the penalties since he's a car collector. I don't think the wiring is horrible, it has a fuse box that takes glass fuses (which is weird because I have those in the monocoque, and I didn't think that was the typical setup back then). Yes, it does have bus reduction gears. (Good eye!)

Ha! I ain't touching anything that could be considered patina. I washed it with a trickle of water because I'm not sure how well the signs painted on the side will hold up . . but the Budman is a little worn and is starting to disintegrate, as is the front foil Meyers Manx sticker on the nose (sadly).

Looks like cross grooved flotation tires...? Never seen the sidewalls done before... What a piece of buggy history..

Bob

Here is a picture of the El Tejon Manx since I brought it back to Buffalo!