King of Cool: Electric Meyers Manx beach buggy confirmed for 2023

Freedom, fun, sexiness – the Meyers Manx beach buggy is the car you wish you were cool (and young) enough to own.

If you missed out on the Sixties piston-powered one, a pure electric version has been revealed to give a new generation the chance to be Steve McQueen.

The rear-drive Meyers Manx 2.0 Electric is the brand’s first all-new vehicle in six decades, and good grief it looks cool as all hell. With a 0-100km/h time of under five-seconds, it’ll fairly shift too.

Final assembly is set to take place in the Manx’s spiritual home of California, with 50 ‘Beta’ versions mooted to be delivered to customers in 2023. These ‘select customers’ will be asked to provide feedback to the development team as they refine a production version for 2024.

Bruce Meyers created the Meyers Manx in 1964, a VW-based fibreglass-body dune buggy that became a California lifestyle icon and decorated sand race car. In 1967 a Manx won the very first Baja 1000 by over five hours.

Light, rangey and fast

While no prices have been announced, preliminary specifications show the all-aluminium monocoque Manx 2.0 Electric to be a diminutive 3.1 metres long and weighing just 680kg with 20kWh battery or 750kg with 40kWh battery. Ludicrously light for an electric vehicle.

The 40kWh version is reckoned to offer 150kW of power, 325Nm of torque and an optimistic-sounding range of 480km. Presumably not while you’re having fun jumping sand dunes at full chat.

There are two electric motors – one over each rear wheel – and the 40kW version has a smile-delivering 0-100km/h estimate of 4.5-seconds. Rapid.

There’ll be independent rear suspension, disc brakes front and rear, electrically assisted steering and regeneration at the rear brakes. A bit more sophisticated than a donor air-cooled VW Beetle then.

There’ll be a 6kW onboard charging unit, while a DC fast charge of up to 60kW is optional.

Sound financial backing

The Meyers Manx brand was bought in 2020 by venture capitalist (and car collector) Philip Sarofim through his Trousdale Ventures company.

Venture capitalists and the Manx’s image of peace, love and freedom may not appear a comfortable combo, but at least it should guarantee firm financial footing.

Noted auto designer Freeman Thomas is the company’s CEO, brought on board to design the Manx 2.0 Electric. Flick through the gallery and you’ll see he’s done a bloody superb job, mainly thanks to barely straying from the original iconic shape.

“The Meyers Manx has always been a symbol of joy, simplicity and purity. It’s the solution to the complexity of life,” said Sarofim, chairman of Meyers Manx. “Continuing the legacy of the Meyers Manx connects us with the optimism of the 1960s California culture, an optimism we all can share.”

Well, let’s see what price tag Phil slings on the production version to check we can all share the optimism.