Editing Dune buggy (section)

=== Beetle-based buggies ===
For dune buggies built on the chassis of a [[rear-engined]] existing vehicle, the [[Volkswagen Beetle]] has been most commonly used as the basis for the buggy, though conversions were made from other rear-engined cars (such as the [[Chevrolet Corvair|Corvair]] and [[Renault Dauphine]]).<ref name="www.bbc.com">{{cite web|title=Meyers Manx, the Beetle-based cure for summertime blues |url= http://www.bbc.com/autos/story/20140508-dune-buggy-deity |website=www.bbc.com|access-date=13 April 2018 |last1= Carney |first1= Dan }}</ref> The model is nicknamed Bug, lending partial inspiration to the term "buggy." The Beetle [[platform chassis]] was used because the rear engine layout improves traction,<ref name="www.topgear.com">{{cite web|title=This man invented the dune buggy |url= https://www.topgear.com/car-news/modified/man-invented-dune-buggy |website=www.topgear.com|access-date=13 April 2018}}</ref> the [[Volkswagen air cooled engine|air-cooled engine]]<ref>{{cite web|title=How Bruce Meyers Turned the VW Beetle Into the World's Most Famous Dune Buggy |url= https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/classic-cars/videos/a32568/for-meyers-manx-fans-its-better-to-be-lost-in-a-buggy-than-found-in-a-jeep/ |website=www.roadandtrack.com |date= 8 February 2017 |access-date=13 April 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Air-Cooled VW Racers to Compete in the Texas Desert Racing Association Twin 150s Desert Race |url= https://dunebuggywarehouse.com/https/air-cooled-vw-racers-to-compete-in-the-texas-desert-racing-association-twin-150s-desert-race.html |website=www.dunebuggywarehouse.com |date= 27 April 2017 |access-date=13 April 2018}}</ref> avoids the complexities and failure points associated with a [[water-cooled engine]], the Beetle's front [[torsion bar suspension]] was not only considered cheap and robust,<ref>{{cite web |title=Dune Buggy |url=http://www.buildyourownracecar.com/racecartype-dunebuggy/ |website=www.buildyourownracecar.com |access-date=13 April 2018}}</ref> but it was also extremely easy to alter and adjust its ride-height. Furthermore, spare parts — and donor vehicles themselves — were cheap and readily available.<ref>{{cite web |title=The History of VW Sand Rail Vehicles |url= http://www.insideyourrv.com/offroading-products/sand-rails/vw-sand-rail.shtml |website=www.insideyourrv.com |access-date=14 April 2018}}</ref> While early dune buggy conversions were left with no body, or featured custom bodies of sheet metal (such as the EMPI Sportsters and similar buggies), glass-reinforced plastic ([[fiberglass]]) bodies, developed in the 1960s, have become the standard image of the modern buggy, and come in many shapes and sizes.

The original fiberglass dune buggy was the 1964 "[[Meyers Manx]]" built by Bruce Meyers.<ref name="www.bbc.com"/> Bruce Meyers designed his fiberglass bodies as a "[[kit car]]", using the Volkswagen Beetle chassis.<ref name="www.topgear.com"/> Many other companies worldwide have been inspired by the Manx, making similar bodies and kits.<ref name="www.topgear.com"/> These types of dune buggies are known as "clones".<ref name="www.bbc.com"/>