Buggies have gone beyond the stage of just running up and down sand
dunes like four-wheeled camels on the weekend. They keep getting
slicker and showing up on the boulevard in legal trim in ever-increasing
numbers. Not really just dunebuggies anymore, we now have all purpose
fun machines on our hands. Sports-rod would be a better name for
these wheels.
For starters, Dean Jeffries, well known custom car designer
and builder, took the usual VW chassis and shortened it by 14-1/2 inches.
Bottom out mounts were lowered to give a better ride. The running
gear sits on Cragar wheels, 15 x 6 in the front, 15 x 8 in the back.
The power is a stock 1300 VW with a Shumaker exhaust and Mallory ignition.
Autolite furnished an electrical system with quick disconnects so the
body would be removable without fuss. All nuts and bolts used for
hook-ons are Premium Supertitanium, just like the Indy cars.
Stewart-Warner gauges line up in the instrument panel, a Grant
wheel is fitted and upholstery has been set in by Dan Dameron of Bellflower,
California.
Extras, such as the keen nerf bars, roll bar, windshield, etc.,
were made by Jeffries and available separately as one wants them.
Dean chose to avoid the chopper gun for production of bodies.
All bodies are hand laminated for extra strength and more consistent quality.
These frame covers will be available in 12 different gel-coat colors, 32
metal flake hues and about 15 different pearl paints. All colors
are in the body itself. The Dean Buggy seen here has a gorgeous pearl
lemon finish.
For those who want to go racing, a special super-light body,
made entirely of cloth, will be available.
The prototype car (seen on these pages) has the stock glass body and
weighs 59 pounds and total car weight is just over 1,000 lbs. with
fuel and oil. No sooner was the first car finished, than it was grabbed
to co-star in a Monkees television show.
What started out as a bunch of guys chasing around the desert
in old chopped-up Volkswagens, has turned into a national craze.
With machinery such as this, it's easy to go crazy.
Chrome roll bar and smooth instrument panel layout give appealing
street buggy characteristics. Buggy has unique styling features.
Submitted by Kyoteboy
