The only way to get in and out of Collins Isingoma’s Dune Buggy is by jumping in and out as it has no doors. Being a convertible without a roof, when he started to restore it to suit the purpose for which he needed it, Isingoma made a jacket to protect himself during rains or heat.
Belonging to the Volkswagen family, Isingoma acquired his Dune aka Beach Buggy in 2014 from a Swedish international who was living in Uganda at the time.
Since it had been parked for a long time, to get it roadworthy, Isingoma had to restore several parts. Although it used to run on six volts, he restored it to 12 in order to make it compatible with local car batteries. He also restored the brake system and external bodywork. The seats were also redone to put the car in a presentable and drivable condition.
“I replaced the brake master cylinder, battery, wiring system, tires and redesigned the front and rear guards. Its body is made of asbestos not metal. I also overhauled the engine to replace the missing parts as it had oil particles clogged and solidified during the time it was parked,” says Isingoma.
“I imported most of the spare parts from the UK and Germany. I didn’t want to modify it with parts from other car brands because I wanted it to stay Volkswagen. From experience, when you customize auto parts from other brands, even when they serve the same purpose, the car will not perform as well as it does with the original parts. It all cost me approximately Shs12 million,” he adds.
A mechanic by training, Isingoma restored the Buggy at his workshop in Mulago, Kampala. The 57-year-old machine is powered by a 1300cc petrol engine. Looking at his service manual, Isingoma last used his Buggy in November 2021.
He has driven it as far as the eastern Ugandan city of Jinja and the city of Entebbe, and on each of these trips, it experienced no mechanical breakdowns. Unlike other cars that run on a water-cooled engine, Isingoma’s is air-cooled.
Service and maintenance
Like any other car, Isingoma says he services his car every 5,000km. However, it uses Castrol 5W50 oil which has a performance capability of covering 10,000 km.
“The challenge is that most people don’t understand how to maintain VW engines. When it comes to oils and lubricants, it’s all about using the right type of oil. If you use other types of oil other than 5W50 , the engine wears out faster as it is air-cooled. I gave it a mileage of 5,000 km to keep it in shape, but the oil can run up to 10,000 km,” he explains.
Isingoma’s Buggy uses four liters of oil. However, when using Castrol oil, do not replace or top up frequently. It also depends on how often you drive the car. A five liter can of oil costs about Shs250,000.
Surprisingly, Isingoma’s speedometer still sits at a humble 40,000km. Maybe that’s because he only drives his car on weekends and holidays when there’s less traffic on the road. Powered by a manual transmission, the Buggy is a classic sports car that you can drive on a bumpy road because of its sturdy suspension.
Its ground clearance is also good and it runs on size 15 tires and rims, making it suitable for off-road performance. It seats two, with a small seat in the back for children. It’s left-hand drive with a four-speed gearbox, generating its power to the wheels from the rear axle, with a 60-litre fuel tank.
New Dune Buggy developments
According to electrek.co, the Meyers Manx, the iconic dune buggy from the 1960s, is making a comeback as the new all-electric Meyers Manx 2.0. The original Manx, the first “dune buggy”, was a team car, built on a modified VW Beetle chassis with a fiberglass body kit. It was popular in desert racing in the 1960s, although the company was retired in 1971. Bruce Meyers, the founder, brought the company in 1999 and showed an electric prototype in 2014. The company is sold to venture capital firm Trousdale in 2020.
“The new vehicle is no longer an expensive kit. Instead, it will come fully assembled by the manufacturer with a design aesthetic similar to the original Meyers Manx but modernized (and with a very fun retro dash). The car was designed by Freeman Thomas, who designed the Audi TT and the modern VW New Beetle,” the portal explains.
The portal notes that for the specifications, like most first looks at electric cars, they can change before the car is released. The company is currently planning two different battery options, 20 kWh and 40 kWh, which it says will be capable of 150 and 300 miles of range. The car can be charged at 6kW with AC power or 60kW with a DC fast charger (as an option) – low compared to modern EVs, but with a smaller battery it should still charge a lot quickly
