I found it a bit weird but I followed his lead and went for it. “He told me if I wanted something to last over the years, take the green. “He had red, blue and lime green,’ recalls Tom. Later that week, Tom ventured to see them in person. As an alternative, he had three metallic gel-coated bodies in stock back at his area shop that Tom could choose from. Custom color requests like that would take six to eight weeks to complete. When he expressed that desire, the vendor had bad news. He houses it all in what he calls his ‘MAN-X’ cave. Head over heels, Tom now owns six Manx buggies and tons of memorabilia. Donna and Tom Baker still enjoy their Meyers Manx dune buggy, even dressing to match its Lime Green color. “Some of the other vendors had metallic flake bodies which were really attractive. Before he signed on the dotted line, the young man did have a specific request. “From his spiel, the other thing that stood out was the notion I could have the performance of a Porsche for the price of a Volkswagen.” Smitten, Tom was soon ready to pay the price to become a proud new owner. “The sales rep really sold me on the fact his brand was the original builder of the dune buggy concept,’ said Tom. After a quick peruse, Tom found himself drawn towards the Meyers Manx example – the brand that started it all. In total, six different dune buggy makers were present. “I didn’t have a clue what they were but right then and there I knew I had to have one,’ recalls Tom. Mesmerized, Tom drifted over to the eye-catching collection. (Photo by Matt Avery)Īs it turns out, a whole host of area dune buggy manufacturers were showing off their latest wares, grabbing the attention of all the strolling foot traffic walking by. The company was based out of Newport Beach, CA. The project started in 1964 and came out of his abilities building fiberglass moulds for the boating industry. “They were all so colorful and looked like sparkling jellybeans.” The man behind the Manx dune buggy is Bruce Meyer. “I look over to the corner and in this alcove, there’s a whole sea of shiny things that I’d never seen before,’ recalls Tom, who was twenty-five years old at the time. Those pleasant plans got quickly sidelined after the pair walked through the mall’s entrance doors. “We had some things to pick up and were planning on grabbing a pizza,’ laughs Tom, thinking back to that evening in July. He and his girlfriend, Donna, were heading on a little romantic outing to the Mountain View mall, not far from Tom’s home. During the summer of 1968, Tom Baker had his motoring life changed forever – and all because of date night.