To Be OFFERED AT AUCTION WITHOUT RESERVE at RM Sothebys' The Taj Ma
Garaj Collection event, 28 September 2019.
Estimate:
$50,000 - $75,000
- One of just six believed to have been built
- Thought to be the final production example
- Used as the original promotional and marketing car
- Discovered by VW expert Randy Carlson
- Featured in VW Trends magazine, September 2004
Though originally intended as a serious small car packed with
surprising utility, the Volkswagen Beetle rapidly took on a funner
role. Some were raced, some were customized, and many were simply
loaded up with surfboards for a day at the beach. It took
Californian Bruce Meyers to combine the three with his original
Meyers Manx, which would quickly become known as the quintessential
dune buggy. The cars were intentionally basic, with little in the
way of features short of the driver's smile.
Detroit-area car designer Karl Krumme had another idea: an upscale
model with a deep metallic paint scheme, quilted upholstery, and
with no shortage of chrome and accessories. He called his creation
the Mangosta Sport Buggy and set up shop in Ventura, California, to
build them in the early 1970s. Unfortunately, Krumme came a little
late to the game, and his cars carried an unfathomably hefty price
tag. Predictably, only a handful were built.
This example, which is believed to be the last such Sport Buggy
built, was used by Mangosta for marketing and promotional purposes.
However, after lackluster sales, the company closed up shop, and
the buggy was stashed away in a warehouse, hardly driven and never
registered. The Mangosta eventually ended up with the famous Movie
World Cars of the Stars collection of Jim Brucker in Santa Paula,
California. Sometime thereafter it was acquired by another prolific
collector in Santa Barbara, under whose ownership it continued to
sit and collect dust.
It wasn't until 2003 when well-known enthusiast and Volkswagen
expert Randy Carlson stumbled upon the car while responding to an
ad for a VW Squareback. Randy was amazed to discover such an
incredibly original and unmolested buggy, and an exceedingly rare
one at that. He was equally impressed by the thrill and speed of
the machine. So much so that, as a father, he decided it best
belonged with a more careful owner, which he found in John Dixon
and the Taj Ma Garaj.
The metallic root-beer-brown gel coat drips with '70s charm, as it
should, since it was the company's marketing showpiece. Orange,
white, and green stripes run around the entire tube. Deep
mud-plugging tires mounted on chrome Cragar wheels give it both
purpose and elegance. Its interior is comparatively opulent, with
quilted brown vinyl trim draped over every surface. Front-seat
passengers are treated to deep racing-style seats, and an
upholstered rear area is ready for a couple of friends or perhaps a
cooler stocked with supplies.
So quintessential is this Mangosta Sport Buggy that it even made an
appearance in the Hollywood shock flick Revenge of the
Cheerleaders, a movie that could only have been made in the '70s.
If ever there was an automotive icon of an era, the Mangosta Sport
Buggy may have been it.To view this car and others currently
consigned to this auction, please visit the RM website at
rmsothebys.com/en/auctions/tg19.
