There is perhaps no more triumphant phrase in the modern English language than "Let's Fucking Go!" Motorsports is full of moments that qualify for the utterance of the hype-inciting words, and now Meyers Manx and Tuthill have built a car that embodies that spirit quite literally.
Remember that space-age looking, Meyers Manx liveried buggy that an intrepid car enthusiast caught being loaded onto a Virgin Atlantic flight to Los Angeles last week? The culmination of that chance encounter is a collaboration between Meyers Manx and Tuthill, the United Kingdom's slickest Porsche restoration firm. Revealed at the Quail, the high-performance buggy is a special project known by the fitting acronym LFG.
"Phillip Sarofim has been a good friend of the business and a good personal friend of Richard Tuthill," David Cox, business development manager at Tuthill, said in an interview with Road & Track. "Between Richard and Philip, it was a conversation of 'how can we make the best Manx in the world?"
Tuthill is best known for its Porsche restoration and racing projects, including a few rally ready 911s that tug at our heart strings, but the LFG is its most modern off-road model. Power is provided by a stroked-up version Tuthill's 3.1-liter, 24-valve flat-six engine, now wearing a displacement of 4.0-liters. The bored-out engine will still spin to a maximum revolutions per minute of 11,000, thankfully. Power figures have yet to be revealed, but we do know that a six-speed sequential gearbox is present inside the closed canopy buggy. Other pertinent mechanical details include four-wheel-drive with three-differential, five-way adjustable dampers with hydraulic bump stops, roll-over protection, all-terrain tires, and an extended range fuel tank.
The research and development process for the Tuthill LFG was a rapid one. Cox told us that the off-road warrior model had only been in development for a few months and that the first running and driving car was constructed a few weeks ago. As a result, the testing process isn't quite finished yet, with additional testing in California and the United Kingdom still underway. Cox also said the LFG will be entering a few off-road events later this year, indicating it could potentially even run in the 2025 Baja 1000 in November.
"This is still a development car. There will be further development to the end of this year until the car goes into production in 2026," Cox said.
Production of this full carbon-fiber construction model will be limited to 100 units and each owner will be provided with six years of meticulously planned driving adventures across the globe. That adventure will kick off in 2027, when the first 20 LFG buggies will help honor the 50th anniversary of Meyers Manx’s historic victory in the first Mexican 1000 by driving in the Baja peninsula.
"This project started as a dream between my long-time pal Richard and me, who are constantly in pursuit of the ultimate expression of freedom and performance. The result is exactly what we sought; raw, visceral, novel, and totally uncompromising. We call it LFG for a reason…" said Phillip Sarofim, the venture capitalist who owns Meyers Manx.
Our previous speculation about the design influence of Freeman Thomas, a revered designer for Audi in the early aughts who now occupies a leadership role with in Meyers Manx, panned out as well. Sarofim said that Thomas' design prowess was unleashed on this project and the results speak for themselves, offering a modern glimpse into the Audi TT and New Volkswagen Beetle shapes that Thomas pioneered at the turn of the century. Notably, the enclosed cabin is air conditioned for passenger comfort, but the glass roof and doors can be quickly removed to allow for an open air experience.
Pricing for the Tuthill LFG has yet to be revealed, but we suspect these limited edition buggies will go for a pretty penny. Even so, these bite-sized off-roaders are for a special kind of buyer and the included driving adventures mean that these rarified units won't go un-driven. For that, we are thankful.
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