Manx on the prowl in Mammoth Lakes
By Phil Coconis
If you think the only significant members of the cat family around the Mammoth area are Bobcats and Mountain Lions, you’d be two-thirds correct. The other third of the family came to visit this past weekend (September 13-15), as part of a Manx Dune Buggy Club outing.
Based in SoCal, the MDBC — founded and administered by Manx creator, Bruce Meyers — organizes several event “runs” annually; and often the destination is somewhere in the Sierra Nevada range.
For those unfamiliar with the history of Bruce or his Meyers Manx brainchild — the seminal Dune Buggy — it is certainly worth investigating.
In short, he took his background in sailing vessel construction and applied it to the automotive field as only a free-spirited renaissance man of the ‘50’s/’60’s sea, surf, and car culture could.
I’d add that the rest is history — except for the fact that Bruce and his crew of enthusiasts continue to propel the Dune Buggy concept and dynamic smartly into the present and future. And I’m not talking solely about the deployment of the device. The new series of Manx iterations are truly progressive in their evolutionary development as well. With more civilized features and ergonomics, as well as employment of more refined engines, drivetrains, and chassis, the future for both the device and its deployment seem pretty solid.
As far as the Club and its constituents: although the MDBC certainly has an accessible web presence, the general tone of these outings — while sometimes fairly ambitious in scope — seems to be rather low-key in actual application.
Many of those in town during the visit in question couldn’t help but notice the presence of the Buggies, but they also may have noticed the sedate way they were conducted through town, and at their Mammoth RV Park staging area. It was truly a case of maximum visual impact wrapped in a low-profile presentation.
Hopefully, more visits to the Mammoth vicinity will be forthcoming!
For more information on Bruce Meyers, the Meyers Manx, and the Manx Dune Buggy Club visit www.manxclub.com
Photo: Coconis
