By Steve Temple

Photos by Steve Temple and Paige Helms

Manx dune-buggy designer Bruce Meyers has released his long-anticipated first book, Call to Baja, an autobiography about his explorations of and contributions to the Baja California Peninsula. Starting in the 1950s, Meyers and his friends began to explore the many mines and churches — backbones of the culture — of Baja California, Mexico.

Through the years, Meyers came to know Baja as though it was home. In his book, Bruce Meyers details the few elapsed time records standing in Baja, and explains how it came to be that, in 1967, he and co-driver Ted Mangels made a recordbreaking run from La Paz to Tijuana in Old Red, the world’s first Meyers Manx and fiberglass dune buggy. What followed that historic 34 hours 45 minutes would forever change the landscape of Baja and jolt the entire world into a fever of off-road racing, pioneering the National Off-Road Racing Association Mexican 1000 and culminating finally in the race known today around the globe: the SCORE Baja 1000. 

Like the Meyers Manx itself, the read of the book is both light and fun, an entertaining tome that reveals the personality and talents of a talented artist and car builder, one of the most impactful automotive designers in history.

Some intriguing details come to light, such as why Old Red’s record-breaking run was actually much quicker than the official time. Also how Road & Track magazine had a secret financial stake in Meyers’ company, and Volkwagen’s surprising initial reaction to the Beetle-based Manx as an off-road racer. And there are some harrowing accounts of breakdowns and crashes that he endured in his escapades south of the border. He then concludes the book with a quote about the historical significance of the Manx from an article I wrote about him for Hot Rod magazine.