The Meyers Manx is one of the most recognizable shapes in the automotive world, but the Manx recently featured in “Jay Leno’s Garage” hides surprises behind its familiar bodywork.
As a refresher, the Meyers Manx dune buggy was created by Bruce Meyers, marrying a fiberglass body with a Volkswagen Beetle platform and flat-4 engine. Prior to his death in 2021, Meyers sold the company to venture capitalist Phillip Sarofim and automotive designer Freeman Thomas—whose resumes include the original VW New Beetle and Audi TT—and they’ve been working to bring back the Manx.
This Manx is one of the newer versions, but the engine behind it doesn’t have VW DNA. It was a 2.0 liter radial engine, with the cylinders arranged in a circle around the crankshaft. This configuration is popular in aircraft, and has been used in some terrestrial military vehicles, but is rarely seen in automobiles. Designed for gyrocopters and bush planes, this engine produces 200 hp in its naturally aspirated stock configuration (and 300 hp with a supercharger), but drops to 130 hp and 130 lb-ft of torque here.
How did this machine end up in Manx? The company that built it, Australian company Radial Motion, has a staff of VW enthusiasts, Sarofim explains in the video. Wanting to test the engine in the field, they decided to install it on a Beetle nicknamed the “Zombie Bug”. It turned out to be a pretty good replacement for the original flat engine, and even paired with VW’s stock transmission.
Unlike the VW engine normally used in Manx dune buggies, this one is also water-cooled (coolant is refilled through a hatch in one of the twilight housings). The engine is also designed to be smokeless, which is not always the case with aircraft piston engines, but must be used on the road, says Sarofim.
It’s unclear whether the radial-engined Manx will become a regular production model, but the company is launching an electric version. A full production ramp-up is scheduled for 2024.
