HAZ Buggy 1969 - World Of Classic Cars -

The beach was where the ’60s generation escaped to, and the dune buggy was just the iconic vehicle to take them to their Endless Summer.

The dune buggy was the brainchild of Bruce Meyers, who developed the combination of a fiberglass body and shortened Volkswagen Beetle chassis in 1964 after realising the design’s potential for off-roading use. The design’s fame was assured after a record-breaking victory in a race in the Baja Desert and epic wins in the Pikes Peak Hillclimb. Its role as a status symbol was further cemented when Elvis Presley drove one in the film Live a Little, Love a Little and when Steven McQueen set off across the dunes in The Thomas Crown Affair with Faye Dunaway at his side.

The design even caught on in Europe, where the highest-quality example was the HAZ (or Hazard) Buggy, manufactured by Autohaus G. Kühn in limited numbers from 1968 until the early 1990s. High standards of quality and construction included approval for legal road use by TÜV, the German Technical Inspection Association.

The car presented here was among the first HAZ Buggies built and remains in excellent original order, including its wooden steering wheel, black vinyl seats, and fiberglass tub finished in the original and striking red paintwork. All is set off beautifully by the classic E-T Classic V-style magnesium wheels, a correct period accessory. Underneath, the proper VW Beetle engine has been maintained for excellent performance.