Fancy buying the beach buggy that Steve McQueen famously drove in The Thomas Crown Affair? You’ll get the chance at Bonhams’ Amelia Island auction next year.
The customised Meyers Manx stars in a memorable scene in which McQueen throws it around the dunes, much to the delight/terror of his passenger Faye Dunaway.
Not only did McQueen perform the scene himself, with no stunt double, but the Hollywood icon even helped design the buggy too.
All of which is likely to drive intense interest in the vehicle when it is offered for sale next spring.
The Meyers Manx was the first true dune buggy and was developed by Californian visionary Bruce Meyers.
Based on a modified Volkswagen Beetle floorpan and flat-four engine but with a Meyers-designed glassfibre body bolted on, it proved a massive hit, embodying that mid-’60s Beach Boys surfer-dude vibe and creating a whole new motoring category in the process.
Speaking to C&SC in 2015, Meyers recalled his priorities when creating the Manx: “The top of the front fenders had to be flat to hold a couple of beers, and the sides had to be high enough to keep the sand and mud out of your eyes!”
