In 1963, my family lived in Yuma, AZ. My father, found a totaled, 1956 VW Type I that had been rolled, looked like a crushed Coke can. My Dad removed the body and, leaving the pan full to improve the ride, he set about to build his sand buggy. He designed and welded the metal body, not from a model but in his mind. At the time, there really were no other “sand buggies” to model after. When he completed the buggy, it wasn’t sleek and modern for the day, rather it looked more like the Flintstone mobile. I LOVED that thing and I thought it was about the coolest looking thing on the road. Several Off Road magazines contacted him to get some photos out in the Yuma desert but when he told them he wasn’t going to “jump” any hills, they lost interest.

Dad drove his buggy to work every day when we lived in Yuma and took us out to the desert on the weekends, exploring everywhere he ever wanted to explore. When he was transferred to another part of the country, he “sold” the buggy to a good family friend who held onto it until my Dad retired in 1971. The buggy then returned back to my Dad when Mom and Dad moved back to their retirement home in the Yuma Foothills.

He continued to drive the buggy in retirement, upgrading it to 12 volt and FINALLY replacing the front axle which had been bent in the 1963 crash.

When he passed in 2004, I inherited his buggy and took it home to Tucson, AZ. I bought a new motor and gave it to a fabricator that was as much magician as he was a metal fabricator, Donny Weiser.

Donnie rebuilt the buggy, updating the front end, the brakes, replacing the roll cage my Dad had built with one that was beefier and stronger. Donnie’s Dad was a Master VW motor builder from way back and he rebuilt the tranny, lowering 3rd gear so you can fly through the gears and never leave the power band. What a gas to drive! He had a painter paint the buggy in a, red tangerine with gold flip flop pearl and it came out GREAT! New BFGs and chrome rims and she was ready to roll. I had a blast driving it for the next 9 or so years.

In 2013, I gave the buggy to my son in law so he could teach my grandson to drive a standard transmission. That never really happened and in 2019, I “borrowed” it back and refreshed it once again. New brakes, safety check, maintenance services AND new stereo front and back so that SIRIUS and IPODs could “rock our world” while we drove around up in our new home in Peoria, AZ.

She looks close to what Dad had built back in 1963, but with some new shoes, shiny clothes and a whole lot more “go” than he had ever intended. No, he had never built a car before but the buggy goes to show that if you have a desire, a mechanical mind and a willingness to try new things, you can accomplish just about anything.