Bruce Meyers, the important west coast artist whose invention of the Meyers Manx dune wagon shaped both motorsport and motorsport culture in the early 1960s, died Friday at the age of 94 in his home in Valley Center, California.
Meyers was well known for his creation that still offers countless enthusiasts around the world “smiles for miles”. He was also a surfer, sailor, guitar / ukulele player, artist, engineer and founder of the entire off-road style and industry. He was born on March 12, 1926 and was inducted into the Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame (ORMHOF) in 1978.
Working in his old garage in Newport Beach, California in 1964, Meyers originally created a flowing fiberglass body that could fit on an old Volkswagen floor tile. With most of the VW drivetrain, suspension and other parts, the first car is finally called a Meyers Manx. In the middle of 1967, Meyers and partner Ted Mangels drove the car – nicknamed “Old Red” – from La Paz to Tijuana, five hours faster than previous trans-Baja runs on motorcycles. The achievement not only attracted worldwide attention, but also led to the founding of the National Off-Road Racing Association (NORRA), an entity that later that year created and promoted the very first Mexican 1000.
The first NORRA Mexican 1000 is considered the first true professional desert race and was won by Mangels and Vic Wilson in a factory-backed Meyers Manx.
The Meyers Manx sparked a huge craze for automotive and lifestyle in the late 1960s and early 1970s, with the company eventually producing more than 7,000 cars, but also succumbing to a massive industry that was building Bruce’s idea into of 350,000 copies from about 300 companies worldwide.
“When Bruce converted the first VW into a Manx, the world fell in love with the cheap practical use of the platform,” Matt Melli, the current CEO of Mint 400, once remarked. ‘But most of all, it was the’ cool ‘factor that sold the Meyers Manx. The idea was that you would magically transform into a beautiful movie star who explores the Baja surfboard by simply climbing in and tying your surfboards to the top. Bruce not only invented a vehicle; he invented the off-road lifestyle. ”
It was a way of life that the legendary off-road racer enjoyed until very recently when medical challenges and the pandemic kept him largely at home. Bruce and his wife Winnie continued to oversee the Meyer Manx business, which sold various kits – old and new – as well as factory-approved accessories, parts, and merchandise. The company was sold to Troutsdale Ventures in November 2020.