Dune buggys are recreational vehicles which sports wide tires, and meant to be used on a sandy precinct such as desert or beach. The fundamental design concept of dune buggys is a modified engine powering an open chassis. Americans are renowned for their insatiable appetite for the outdoors and the "Do it Yourself" concept. This makes the massive popularity growth of dune buggys hardly a surprise. The vehicle came to symbolize the carefree spirit of the beach crowd in the early 60s. Dune buggys were a common sight sloshing through the sand dunes of Southern California and Florida also the desert precinct such as Mexico's Baja California and parts of California's Mojave Desert. Crafted out of fiber glass, these early custom designed cars featured a rounded and squat appearance devoid of any flat lines. More than often these were the VW bug which was stripped down their engines tuned up for more power and fitted with larger tires with thick treads for traversing the sands. Most of the dune buggys had their rear tires bigger than the front ones.
There was a reason for selecting the VW Bug for modification; the rear mounted engine meant that once the body has been stripped down there is an enormous improvement in traction. Dune buggys are prone to flipping over; hence there is a safety roll bar in place which prevents the occupants from being crushed in the event of a rollover. These vehicles can be highly versatile when it comes to utility; they serve as surfboard haulers on the beach, off road competitor, sleek street roadsters from impressing the town-folks and of course back-road bushwhackers during those expedition trips. Their weird and kooky design was redemption for souls looking for some spirited adventure, coupled with dazzling colors and sparkling chrome, these left the Corvettes and Pontiacs in the dust.
Dune Buggys also let people be their own automobile designer, create and design their own car and do things their way. The earlier dune buggys came in an array of dazzling colors and paint jobs, everything from purple, turquoise, lime green and Rickie Tickie Sticke flower decals, all of which complimented the happy-go-lucky nature of this vehicle. However, many of the newer ones sport an aggressive and meaner look, an indication of the widespread popularity of dune buggy races. Famed dune buggies in pop culture include the Wonderbug from The Krofft Supershow, Big Jim's Dune Devil, Banana Split's Banana Buggy and Barbie's Sun 'n Fun Buggy. The pop culture image of dune buggys took a drastic turn when it was publicized as the favorite method of transportation for the Manson family during their notorious journey through the jagged terrains of California's Death Valley.
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