1970 Volkswagen Dune Buggy Burro

GR Auto Gallery is excited to bring this very rare original off road, street legal, 1970 Burro Dune Buggy to the world stage. Hilder “Tiny” Thompson, the creator of the Burro, is revered as an early pioneer of the Dune Buggy and dessert motorsports. In 1963, Tiny, an accomplished welder and fabricator, built his first Burro Buggy for local surfing legend, Dale Velzy. It did not take long for his creation to gain traction in the local California market, so the Burro Company was born in Santa Ana, California. Burro's featured a fabricated one inch tube frame made on a jig with all major components (Front end, engine, transmission, rear end, brakes etc.) are from older or salvaged VW Beetles and Busses.
The Burro offered here was restored in Costa Mesa, CA, year 2009. The entire frame was powder coated in candy apple red, the wheels, engine tin and other miscellaneous components have been powder coated in Hammer Tone Grey. Mechanical highlights include: Original 1600 cc VW engine rebuilt to 1835 cc, dual rear turning brakes, VW Bus 4-rib 4 speed manual transmission, 2 LED lower front spot lights, 12 volt electrical system, Independent rear suspension, wide 5 bolt pattern wheels, This buggy is also outfitted with Mastercraft vinyl bucket seats. Since, it has been used and enjoyed for its intended purpose.
The current owner states that there was nearly $20000.00 dollars invested over the last two years to ensure its mechanical fitness. This includes: Top end rebuild of the engine, transaxle refurbished, full rewiring of the vehicle, new windshield with new mounts and seals, new front tires, newly rebuilt front end with new balljoints, spindles steering box tie rods, etc, new Bilstein front shocks, new disc brakes, all new LED sights, signals, new gauge cluster, new SS gas tank with new fuel pump, new brake clutch throttle set with new hydraulics, new rear tires and rebuilt rear brakes, new rear shocks, new Bearings and CV boots, new carbs linkage engine tune service, new high performance ignition complete with plug wires, new heads, etc.
Mechanically, this Burro rips and it is a complete blast to drive.

Not only did Burro have a revered history in dessert and Baja racing, but also Dune Buggies certainly were a fad in the 60's and 70's, especially on the west coast and western deserts, and the demand drove companies such as Burro and Manx to build street legal versions. This 1970 Burro Dune Buggy is an excellent example of a pioneer in the off-road vehicle industry. A great piece of history offered here.