Photo: edited by autoevolution
Meyers Manx dune buggies are probably the most famous recreational vehicles ever - you get to see them near Californian beaches, in movies, TV shows, as toys and even in Grand Theft Auto. But is it still a trendy ride now? Maybe turning it into an EV...
A loud exposed air cooled boxer engine smoking from time to time is not in trend with today’s standards for most people, so the famous company decided to adapt it a bit and follow the latest fashion.
Which in translation means fitting the classic car a more edgier outer shell, shiny spoked rims (which suck by the way), a curved windshield, integrated headlamps and... wait for it... an electric motor.
The company doesn’t even consider it a vehicle suited for normal traffic, but a Neighborhood Electric Vehicle (NEV). Great... imagine going to the grocery store to buy some milk and pasta in this noiseless, dubious-looking buggy on sport low-talon wheels.
Yeah, we understand the whole EV era and no more dinosaur juice theory, but come on... there are classic cars that can’t be simply adapted to run solely on electricity. It’s like adding celery to ice cream because you don't have any strawberries - you’ll ruin it.
The purpose of the classic buggy was to get rid of the unnecessary things of a VW Beetle, like the heavy body, shorten its wheelbase to make it more agile and dune friendly, expose its engine to cool it better, fit it the minimal fiber-glass body needed so you won’t get hit by rocks and go make some chaos in desert races or on the beach.
On the other hand, the NEV version will be limited to 35-45 mph, sound like a bumper car, look like a ricer and probably won’t be allowed to exit certain metropolitan areas. Awesome! This makes the leaning Toyota i-Road look a million times more fun to drive...
The prototype is said to go into production soon, probably making inhabitants of Florida retirement communities already sit on their toes to get their hands on one.
Which in translation means fitting the classic car a more edgier outer shell, shiny spoked rims (which suck by the way), a curved windshield, integrated headlamps and... wait for it... an electric motor.
The company doesn’t even consider it a vehicle suited for normal traffic, but a Neighborhood Electric Vehicle (NEV). Great... imagine going to the grocery store to buy some milk and pasta in this noiseless, dubious-looking buggy on sport low-talon wheels.
Yeah, we understand the whole EV era and no more dinosaur juice theory, but come on... there are classic cars that can’t be simply adapted to run solely on electricity. It’s like adding celery to ice cream because you don't have any strawberries - you’ll ruin it.
The purpose of the classic buggy was to get rid of the unnecessary things of a VW Beetle, like the heavy body, shorten its wheelbase to make it more agile and dune friendly, expose its engine to cool it better, fit it the minimal fiber-glass body needed so you won’t get hit by rocks and go make some chaos in desert races or on the beach.
On the other hand, the NEV version will be limited to 35-45 mph, sound like a bumper car, look like a ricer and probably won’t be allowed to exit certain metropolitan areas. Awesome! This makes the leaning Toyota i-Road look a million times more fun to drive...
The prototype is said to go into production soon, probably making inhabitants of Florida retirement communities already sit on their toes to get their hands on one.
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