What is it…

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rustydusty

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So I’m a new guy here, over the years have owned numerous hot rods, muscle cars, and classics. This is my first “dune car”. Bought this last week after selling a Fiat Sport Spider (that I did not bond with)
The add called it a dune buggy, but all the pictures I check out are Manx/Empi kind of cars.
Is this a sand rail? Runs and drives, 1600cc engine, and I really like it…IMG_2002.jpegIMG_2001.jpegIMG_1999.jpeg
 
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I'd call it it a dune buggy, sand buggy, sand rail, buggy or rail.

In the early 80's....my and my girlfriend, fiance, wife (I don't remember when it was) went over to Sandy Eggo for the weekend. I had a picture drawn a picture drawn by a guy in one of those booths. I said dunebuggy and he drew me in a fiberglass job on a pan. I had a rail that I drove in the dunes. I was disappointed.
 
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Well, that helps a lot… either way, I’m looking forward to playing with an air cooled VW, just trying to cruise to a few local shows, and if it
towed ok, dragging it to the Outer Banks with my Jeep JK…2608.jpeg
 
A sand rail is a broad term. Back in the day, water pumper buggies used a stripped down chassis that consisted of the bottom frame "rails", the engine/trans, seating arrangement and not much else. These were almost always built for exploring the sand dunes. A dune buggy is also a broad term. It was originally a name for the meyers manx fiberglass bodied VWs. We mainly know them today as air cooled Volkswagen based like yours Silverlake sand dunes in Michigan had the earliest purpose built buggies made for a tour outfit in I believe the 50's. It's been awhile since I got into the history. That looks like a late 90's or early 2000's build and probably a desert car with the dual rear shocks, street kit, and extra bracing. See that one small gusset above the right rear shock assembly that isn't on the left side? I wonder what that's about? Sand cars were built to be lighter. The sand was alot smoother then.
 
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The VW experts on The Samba website might be helpful in knowing who made those fiberglass body panels.
 
That looks really close. Thanks for the replies. For now, I’m going to assume it’s a “High Jumper”…
 
Your on the east coast right?

Berrien was the huge mfg out that way...AI Search has more information below...



In the 1970s and 1980s, the East Coast and Midwest saw a surge in dune buggy and sand rail kit manufacturers that mirrored the West Coast’s Sand Rail Manufacturing Co. (originally of Montclair and later Monrovia, CA, famous for their single A-arm "Hi-Jumper" rails). [1, 2, 3, 4]

Several iconic builders from that era captured that same open-tube style:
  • Berrien Buggy (Berrien Springs, MI): One of the largest and most enduring manufacturers, they produced a massive lineup of tube-frame sand rail kits and fiberglass dune buggy bodies that were shipped across the country.
  • Allison Daytona (Daytona Beach, FL): Known for their meticulously crafted VW-based buggies and rails. While famous for fiberglass, they also produced classic stripped-down street rails popular in the 70s.
  • Corsair Cars (East Coast / UK): Created the "Stripper" in the late 1960s and 1970s, a VW-powered kit car whose bodywork could be quickly removed to transform it into a true open-tube sand rail.
  • The Bug Barn (Allegan, MI): A prominent Midwestern builder/shop in the 1970s known for designing custom VW-powered rails and pan buggies.
  • Specialty Vehicles / Various Kit Builders: The 1970s saw dozens of small-batch fabricators making spaceframe buggy chassis using Volkswagen engines and transmissions. [7, 12, 13]
Because the "Hi-Jumper" and similar West Coast rails utilized a highly standard Volkswagen rear-engine/transaxle setup and air-cooled engines, many East Coast manufacturers adopted the exact same drivetrain blueprints. To find parts or restoration forums for these classic 70s and 80s rails, check out enthusiast groups like the Old School Dune Buggies.
 
After doing some more research (the first four letters in vehicle ID # is MICH), I am thinking this is a Berrienbuggy. Just insured it and when they looked it up they said it was designated as a sand rail. Will be getting tags for it tomorrow…
 
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rustydusty said:
After doing some more research (the first four letters in vehicle ID # is MICH), I am thinking this is a Berrienbuggy. Just insured it and when they looked it up they said it was designated as a sand rail. Will be getting tags for it tomorrow…
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Welcome to Glamis Dunes.com.
Hopefully you’ll get a chance to come out and play with us in the dunes with your new buggy.
 
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