2022 Meyers Manx, Radial prototype

Generously lent by Meyers Manx Ltd., Costa Mesa, California

• This is the first Meyers Manx prototype fitted with a 3-cylinder Radial Motion engine.

• Manx body remastered for the continuation of the 1960s dune buggy kit car.

The Meyers Manx dune buggy was initially designed by Bruce Meyers for desert racing by Southern California engineer, artist, boat builder, and surfer Bruce Meyers. An original 1968 example is shown next to this car in this exhibition.  

The original VW Beetle engine typically produced between 30-36 bhp depending on variant and displacement (with some later engines making as much as 60 bhp.  The radial engine-powered Meyers Manx you see here was built by the team at Meyers Manx in California in collaboration with Radial Motion in Australia. With 130 bhp, it is a major step up over what most 1960s-era Meyers Manx builds were producing, approximately 3x more.

The plan was to get the prototype you see here running, to see how the engine would perform, initial testing was recently completed, and the engine performed so well that it will now be possible to order a Manx in a specification ready to accommodate a Radial Motion engine. The three-cylinder radial engine developed by the Australian engineering team at Radial Motion is unique in that it’s caused a wave of sustained excitement in both the aircraft world and the automotive world – as the engine can be used to power either planes or cars with only minor changes.

Manx Radial Engine Specifications:

Bore & Stroke: 99.0 mm by 86.5 mm, 2000 cc (122 cu in).

Heads: Bespoke design, Harrop casting Tech, cast waterways, machined fins.

Valve Train: Gear driven two-valve pushrod.

Valve Actuation: Comp cams ultra gold roller rockers.

Valves: Pep pro stainless steel, intake 2.0 in, exhaust 1.5 in.

Valve seats and guides: Three-angle seat (steel) grind with bronze valve guides.

Lifters: Hydraulic

Cams: Individual cam for reach head, Kelford CAMS NZ.

Pistons: Silverlight 99.0.

Barrels & Liners: Cast iron wet liners in a cast aluminum barrel.

Conrods: Eagle, 2.0 big ends.

Crank configuration: Single throw common journal.

Crank: Billet machined 4340, all over nitride and shot peen.

Bearings (mains, big ends): Bimetal shells (off the shelf) ACL with pressure oil.

Dry Sump Pump Pack: Three rotor gear pairs, bespoke manufacture.

Oil Pressure Pump: One rotor gear pairs, front mount, bespoke manufacture.