Thomas Crown Affair 1967 / 68 Con-Ferr Meyers Manx Dune Buggy Sale Record
The Steve McQueen Thomas Crown Affair 1967/68 Conn-Ferr Meyers Manx Dune Buggy made a new sale record at Bonhams Amelia Island auction. The buggy sold for US$456,000 or £337,854.
In the film Thomas Crown had a few diverse vehicles, the Manx being the most distinctive of them. McQueen managed to influence the production and elements of the films he was in to the extent he got the buggy. The original script had called for a Jeep, but McQueen saw a Manx on the cover of Hot Rod magazine and had to have one. In a making of documentary McQueen recalled the story of the one off dune buggy:
“Crown lives at the beach, and he has a sand dune buggy. I helped ’em design it, so I’m kinda proud of that. It’s set on a Volkswagen chassis, with big ol’ wide weenies, big wide tires on mag wheels, Corvair engine stuffed in the back…It’s very light, you know. It’s pulling about 230 horses, and the vehicle weighs about 1,000 pounds.”
McQueen may have been exaggerating the power output, the flat six Corvair engine is said to put out 140+ bhp. It certainly isn’t slow. One of the more unusual modifications was a pair of handbrake levers allowing McQueen to lock either rear wheel. This was to make it easier to slide the buggy through the sand with one rear wheel locked and the other spinning under power.
The buggy was built using an original Meyers Manx body. East coast company Con-Fer built the car specially for the film. Tony Nancy did the interior trimming. It’s highly likely that this Manx had one of the nicest interiors made for a dune buggy.
In the film McQueen did all the driving, with Dunaway as passenger. Not all the action was scripted as McQueen made some of it up as he went along. One scene was planned: “What I’ve got to do,” McQueen said, “is to take the sand dune buggy and drop it straight down [the dune], and then run the rim around the outside of it.”
In a later scene McQueen said, “The thing just wouldn’t turn. The throttle jammed and we were heading right for the ocean at a terrific rate of speed. Well, on film, all you could see was this orange bug disappearing into the water. Faye came out of it soaked and smiling. Some trooper! They had to take the whole engine apart to get the saltwater out.”
Fortunately before the auction with Bonhams the Manx was fully disassembled. Undergoing a complete, platinum level, concours quality restoration. Care being taken to preserve authenticity and originality. Significantly the chassis was refitted with an original spec Corvair engine and a VW transaxle. The original VW floorplan was damaged and replaced a long time ago. Everything else was deeply cleaned, refurbished, mechanically freshened, and restored as necessary
Specification:
2,683cc Flat 6-Cylinder Engine
Four Carburettors
Aluminium Cylinder Heads 140+ bhp
4-Speed Manual Transaxle
Modified Volkswagen Floor Pan Chassis and Suspension
4-Wheel Hydraulic Drum Brakes
Thanks to Bonhams for the use of the image.