This article does not cite any references or sources. (September 2007) Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed.

Dune buggy

George W. Bush in a dune buggy

A dune buggy is a recreational vehicle with large wheels, and wide tires, designed for use on sand dunes or beaches. The design is usually a modified vehicle with a modified engine mounted on an open chassis. The modifications usually attempt to increase the power to weight ratio by either lightening the vehicle or increasing engine power or both. They are also often referred to as air buggies, and those with an open frame chassis are called sandrails. Image File history File links Question_book-3. ... ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (1280x949, 319 KB) Photo of a Dune buggy from http://flickr. ... ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (1280x949, 319 KB) Photo of a Dune buggy from http://flickr. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Presdunebuggy. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Presdunebuggy. ... George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is the forty-third and current President of the United States of America, originally inaugurated on January 20, 2001. ... The Trikke is a Human Powered Vehicle (HPV) Automobiles are among the most commonly used engine powered vehicles. ... For other uses, see Wheel (disambiguation). ... Firestone tire This article is about pneumatic tires. ... This article is about sand formations. ... For other uses, see Beach (disambiguation). ... Look up Chassis in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Sandrail at Silver Lake Sand Dunes A sandrail, or sand rail, or sandcar, or rail is a lightweight motor vehicle specifically built for traveling across sandy terrain. ...

A similar, more recent generation of off road vehicle, often similar in appearance to a sand rail but designed for different use, is the "off road go kart". The difference between a dune buggy or go kart and an "off road" buggy or kart is sometimes nothing more than the type of tires fitted -sand tires or all terrain tires - but "off road" go karts and buggies are a rapidly developing category of their own. A kart racer takes a turn on an indoor track Kart racing (as the word is so spelled by enthusiasts) or karting is a variant of open-wheeler motor sport with simple, small four-wheeled vehicles called karts, go-karts, or gearbox/shifter karts depending on the design. ...

Design

Dune buggies are usually created using one of two to three different methods.

The first involves alteration of an existing vehicle, most notably the older Volkswagen Type One (Beetle, or Bug). The Beetle is preferred for a variety of reasons. Most significant is the position of the rear mounted Volkswagen engine, which with removal of bodywork transfers a high proportion of the weight to the rear driven wheels for extra traction. The engine is air cooled, simplifying engine modification, and the absence of a radiator eliminates a source of failure. The low price; robustness of the front suspension; and the sizable quantity of spare parts from other VW Beetles and Type 2 buses are a further advantage. Corvair engines are also a popular way to upgrade to 6 cylinders and sometimes vehicles are fitted with turbochargers to provide as much as 180 horsepower. For example, one such conversion was a 1970 Manx 2 on a 1961 VW chassis. It was fitted with a 180 HP turbocharged Corvair engine, with reverse rotation, mated to a VW transaxle. VW redirects here. ... This article is about the original Volkswagen Beetle. ... In automobile design, a rear-engine design layout places both the engine and drive wheels at the rear of the vehicle. ... The Volkswagen air cooled engine is one of the most widely used and versatile internal combustion engines in the world. ... The Volkswagen Type 2 (aka Transporter) was the second automotive line introduced by German automaker Volkswagen. ... The Chevrolet Corvair remains one of General Motors most unusual creations. ... This article is about a unit of measurement. ... A transaxle, in the automotive field, is a component that combines the functionality of the transmission, the differential and the drive axle into one integrated assembly. ...

The second method involves construction of a vehicle frame from steel tubing formed and welded together. The advantage of this method is that the fabricator can change fundamental parts of the vehicle (usually the suspension and addition of a built-in roll cage). Buggies of this type are called sandrails because of the rail frame. Sandrails, as with the VW Bug, often have the engine located behind the driver. Sizes can vary from a small engined one seat size to 4 seat, 8+ cylinder vehicles. Sandrails can have panels or custom shaped body coverings over the rails and tubing that comprise the vehicle, though many are left bare. Sandrail at Silver Lake Sand Dunes A sandrail, or sand rail, or sandcar, or rail is a lightweight motor vehicle specifically built for traveling across sandy terrain. ...

The third is only a temporary fix. These dune buggies represent mixes of the above two design philosophies, typically after a converted vehicle sustains damage from age, hard use, or accidents and spare parts are not available or affordable. This type of creation is called The Boston-Murphy style.

Function

Initially dune buggies were designed for navigating desert or beaches (hence the word "dune"). However, dune buggies have become more diversified in terms of the terrain they can handle and are being built for more generic off road tasks, such as CORR / SCORE indoor track racing. Some are even built for and used as on-road vehicles. Typically the function is determined before the buggy is created in order to maximize the comfort or abilities of the vehicle.

Although dune buggies can be bought (as a kit), many drivers make their own. This is done by separately buying chassis, engine, tires, steering wheel, and axles. Some builders make their own chassis, which creates a special, customized vehicle.

A 1961 or later Volkswagen sedan is the preferred donor to create a Dune Buggy. The VW Type 2, Type 3 and Type 4 do not make good donor cars, however the engine, transaxle, wheels, and instruments can be used from these models. VW redirects here. ... Volkswagen (VW) is an automobile manufacturer based in Wolfsburg, Germany. ...

Other parts that can be salvaged from a donor VW for use in a Dune Buggy include the front axle and suspension, frame, pedal assembly, shock absorbers, seats, battery, fuel tank (1961 or later), steering column, brakes, instruments and switches, windshield wiper, horn and emergency flasher unit.

Military buggies

Because of the obvious advantages a buggy can afford on some terrain, they are also used by the military. The buggies built for the US military are called Desert Patrol Vehicles (or DPV). They were previously called Fast Attack Vehicles or FAV and are used by US Navy Seals. The DPVs are built by Chenowth Racing Products Inc., a San Diego based company. As with most military material, they are not sold outside the government. This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... SEALs in from the water. ...

Tube Framed Buggies

Over time Buggies have been altered to allow maximum recreational use. They are now available in varying sizes.

Professional racing buggy with a V8 engine and fibre-glass body on a tubular steel frame

The most common form of non-racing buggy consists of a 'tube frame' which is simple to construct and sturdy. If the frame bends or breaks it is simple to fix. Steel tubing is preferred to "pipe" as pipe is rolled and welded, tubing is mandrel drawn, making it stronger and with consistent wall thickness. Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 536 pixelsFull resolution (1840 × 1232 pixel, file size: 1. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 536 pixelsFull resolution (1840 × 1232 pixel, file size: 1. ...

Engine size varies depending on the suspension, frame strength and performance needs. Engine size has varied from 50 cc for small light buggies to 7+ liter engines designed for professional racing. Dune buggies use both automatic or manual transmissions, sometimes based on application and engine power, but often based simply on personal choice.

Fiberglass Dune Buggies

Fiberglass dune buggies come in many shapes and sizes. The most popular are those seen on TV like Wonderbug and Speed Buggy. These types of dune buggies are known as "clones". Many companies worldwide have, to varying degrees, attempted to copy the original fiberglass dune buggy the "Meyers Manx" built by Bruce Meyers. Bundle of fiberglass Fiberglass (also called fibreglass and glass fibre) is material made from extremely fine fibers of glass. ... Wonderbug was a TV series on ABC network, and was part of the first season of the ABC networks Krofft Supershow in 1976. ... Speed Buggy Speed Buggy was a Saturday morning cartoon produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions, originally airing for 16 30-minute installments on CBS between September 8, 1973 and August 31, 1974; repeats have surfaced on all 3 networks for 9 years. ... The first Meyers Manx with creator Bruce Meyers behind the wheel, taken September 1, 2007. ...

Kit cars are a variant that use the dune buggy philosophy of substituting significant amounts of a car with custom parts to resemble production, modified or prototype cars. For instance: American Fiberglass Product’s “Humbug” has similar features to a classic Corvette, Berry’s “Mini-T” was a nod to the Ford Model T, or BMB Automotive’s “Surviver” is a scaled down version of the Lamborghini Cheetah. For other uses, see Prototype (disambiguation). ... Ford may mean a number of things: A ford is a river crossing. ... 1908 Ford Model T advertisement The Model T (colloquially known as the Tin Lizzie and the Flivver) was an automobile produced by Henry Fords Ford Motor Company from 1908 through 1928. ... The Lamborghini Cheetah was Lamborghinis first attempt at an offroad vehicle that wasnt a tractor. ...

Bruce Meyers behind the wheel of the first Manx Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ...	A Meyers Manx Clone Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ...	Greek version of beach buggy	The Greek beach buggy was built by Pan-Car in the 1980's Pan-Car beach buggy (1977 model) Pan-Car was a Greek producer of automobiles and light trucks, operating between 1968 and 1992. ...

Dune buggies in popular culture

• In the The Thomas Crown Affair (1968 film), Steve McQueen's character drives a dune buggy along the beach in a seminal and often parodied scene.
• The Seattle grunge band The Presidents of the United States of America has a song called Dune Buggy on their 1995 debut album.
• Dune buggies were especially made popular by the Mad Max movies.
• For a brief time in the mid-1970s, Spider-Man used a modified dune buggy as his "Spider-Mobile".
• The 1973 cartoon series Speed Buggy featured an anthropomorphic dune buggy, voiced by Mel Blanc.
• The film Watch Out, We're Mad (...altrimenti ci arrabbiamo! - Italy, 1974), with Bud Spencer and Terence Hill, turn around a red with yellow top dune buggy.
• In the 19-2000 Music Video by the Gorillaz. The band drives around in a Meyers Manx Dune Buggy.
• In the James Bond film For Your Eyes Only, the Countess is killed by a dune buggy driven by the villain.
• In the Elvis Presley movie Live a Little, Love a Little Elvis' character, Greg Nolan, recklessly drives a dune buggy during the first two minutes while the opening credits appear.

The Thomas Crown Affair is a 1968 movie starring Steve McQueen and Faye Dunaway. ... For other uses, see Steve McQueen (disambiguation). ... In contemporary usage, a parody (or lampoon) is a work that imitates another work in order to ridicule, ironically comment on, or poke some affectionate fun at the work itself, the subject of the work, the author or fictional voice of the parody, or another subject. ... The Presidents of the United States of America are a Seattle grunge pop band best known for their quirky, often nonsensical songs that defied the typical sound of most bands from the Pacific Northwest at the time. ... See also: 1995 in music (UK) Musical groups established in 1995 Record labels established in 1995 January 1 - Debut album Sixteen Stone by Bush hits #4 on the Billboard 200 a post grunge success January 18 - Jerry Garcia wrecks his rented BMW into a guard rail near Mill Valley, California. ... The Presidents of the United States of America (1995, see 1995 in music) is the first album released by The Presidents of the United States of America. ... For other uses, see Mad Max (disambiguation). ... Spider-Man swinging around his hometown, New York City. ... Speed Buggy Speed Buggy was a Saturday morning cartoon produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions, originally airing for 16 30-minute installments on CBS between September 8, 1973 and August 31, 1974; repeats have surfaced on all 3 networks for 9 years. ... Melvin Jerome Blanc (May 30, 1908 – July 10, 1989) was a prolific American voice actor. ... Year 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. ... Bud Spencer (born October 31, 1929), born as Carlo Pedersoli, is a famous Italian actor, known for his height 6 4 (1. ... Terence Hill (born Mario Girotti March 29, 1939) is an Italian-born actor. ... 19-2000 (sometimes written 19/2000) is a song from the Gorillaz self-titled debut album, Gorillaz. ... For the Gorillazs self-titled debut album, see Gorillaz (album). ... The first Meyers Manx with creator Bruce Meyers behind the wheel, taken September 1, 2007. ... This article is about the spy series. ... This article is about the James Bond book and short story. ... Elvis redirects here. ... This article or section is not written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia article. ...

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Volkswagen Buggy

• Meyers Manx - Fiberglass bodywork is added to a shortened VW pan to create a popular roadster
• EMPI Imp
• Baja Bug
• Mini Moke
• Volkswagen 181

The first Meyers Manx with creator Bruce Meyers behind the wheel, taken September 1, 2007. ... EMPI started to produce fiberglas dune buggies in the late 60s. ... The term Baja Bug generally refers to a Volkswagen Beetle modified to operate on sand dunes and beaches, although other versions of air-cooled Volkswagens are sometimes modified as well. ... The Mini Moke is a vehicle based on the Mini and designed for the British Motor Corporation (BMC) by Sir Alec Issigonis. ... The Volkswagen Type 181 Kurierwagen, popularly known in the United States as the Thing and in Mexico as the Safari, was a small military vehicle produced by Volkswagen from 1969 to 1983, although civilian sales stopped in 1980. ...

External links

• BeachBuggy.eu A Site dedicated to the restoration of an orange Beach Buggy
• The Greek Buggy Club
• A Short NPR Radio Piece About Dune Buggying in California
• Dune Buggy Archives A site that catalogs the many different types of dune buggies manufactured