"Rare" Engine On Manx
Posted: Sat Aug 10, 2013 4:12 am
While on a quick shopping trip to Vons this afternoon, Patricia & I spotted a really nice authentic, "tagged & badged" Meyers Manx buggy!
The sort of odd rare engine hanging on the back was a Turbo'd 2300cc Ford "Pinto style" 4 cylinder & it was mated to a 70s Bay window VW Bus automatic transaxle!
We waited a few minutes & the owners came out of Vons & climbed in. I only got to talk a couple minutes, but their names are Clark & Lahoma & they live in Texas. Clark built it a few years ago & they have put a hair over 20,000 miles on it... no problems whatsoever!!!
He said right after he built it, on a chassis dyno, it put right at 200 hp to the ground & said it might be a hair more now. Transaxle has lots of work done to it!
It is an original Manx 1 with front & rear badges & the ID tag.
They are camped up near Ojai, leaving in AM, headed to Pismo Beach for a few days, then continuing North. They are on vacation, destination is Seattle & then they'll be heading back home first week in September!
This is their 3rd long trip in the buggy & have it figured out real well on what to carry! They said it handles & runs real well & it'll run any speed you want or a combination of all day long. It averages 25 mpg!
I gave them my phone number & the Manx Club's website, so hopefully we'll hear from them soon!
BTW... it is bright Ford blue with polished Centerlines... looks awesome!!!
Sorry... no photos... no camera & my cell phone camera doesn't work.
The sort of odd rare engine hanging on the back was a Turbo'd 2300cc Ford "Pinto style" 4 cylinder & it was mated to a 70s Bay window VW Bus automatic transaxle!
We waited a few minutes & the owners came out of Vons & climbed in. I only got to talk a couple minutes, but their names are Clark & Lahoma & they live in Texas. Clark built it a few years ago & they have put a hair over 20,000 miles on it... no problems whatsoever!!!
He said right after he built it, on a chassis dyno, it put right at 200 hp to the ground & said it might be a hair more now. Transaxle has lots of work done to it!
It is an original Manx 1 with front & rear badges & the ID tag.
They are camped up near Ojai, leaving in AM, headed to Pismo Beach for a few days, then continuing North. They are on vacation, destination is Seattle & then they'll be heading back home first week in September!
This is their 3rd long trip in the buggy & have it figured out real well on what to carry! They said it handles & runs real well & it'll run any speed you want or a combination of all day long. It averages 25 mpg!
I gave them my phone number & the Manx Club's website, so hopefully we'll hear from them soon!
BTW... it is bright Ford blue with polished Centerlines... looks awesome!!!
Sorry... no photos... no camera & my cell phone camera doesn't work.
This morning I cruised over to the lurker's abode to check out the 2300cc Pinto 4 cylinder engine. He wasn't lyin'... it was a complete "running" engine & it ran real well & sounded great! After about 30 minutes he told me "how much" & the only thing I could do was say yes! He even loaned me his little 4' X 6' trailer so I could get it home! Lots of extra parts too, maybe enough to build an extra basically stock 2300cc! He also gave me the custom engine "running" stand! 
I told him I had to call the guy I just got it from & I did! Explained everything to him, he said it was mine now & he didn't care what I did with it! 
