One of the prime 1960s music tv shows was Groovy, introduced by host,
https://books.google.com/books?id=ytPXCnLmIycC&pg=PA85&lpg=PA85&dq=sand+chariots+ocelot&source=bl&ots=WFzSqV9meJ&sig=ACfU3U1WAReFmTHZyPCWYIAMf49C1lNvAQ&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi54f3qg4bhAhUSK30KHebQDxUQ6AEwB3oECAcQAQ#v=onepage&q&f=false
Former Meyers Manx distributor turned-buggy manufacturer Marion Ruggles produced the Ocelot buggy through his Sand Chariots operation in Fullerton, from 1967 to 1970
They were named a variety of things... the Ocelot SS, the Ocelot II, and the Vaquero
It seems to me that the name Ocelot was a play on the cat name Manx that Bruce Meyer made iconic
http://www.dunebuggyarchives.com/registry/Ocelot
http://beachwheels.blogspot.com/2011/01/sand-chariots-of-california-ocelot-ss.html
Nice to see some buggy coverage here. Just out of shot in the first picture is a still from Cowboy in Africa.Came across an interesting quote on Thesamba about Bruce Meyers involvement with that series:
ReplyDelete"Bruce told me his experience with Hollywood was poor at best. The Cowboy in Africa with Chuck Connors was a huge bust for Bruce too. He supplied the two buggies for them to use, repaired them almost weekly, and when the series wrapped, the studeo called him to come pick up the broken buggies. He received no compensation at all from the studeo, no mention in the credits either. And then a good while later, Chuck Connors came to Bruce grabbed him and picked him up and called him Brucey Baby. Asked about the two buggies. When Bruce said he fixed them and sold them, Chuck dropped him, called him a name and left.
Bruce told me he has very little use for the Hollywood types, they were just fake people."
Its on page 13 of this great thread: https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=543351&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0
Bruce by all accounts is a real gent who has generally been screwed by everyone over his creation. Makes me feel a little ashamed that my own buggy is a clone he saw no money out of.
He just celebrated his 93rd birthday 2 days ago.
Good informative documentary about his remarkable life here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lplmHocdy7s&t=15s
He just celebrated his 93rd birthday 2 days ago.
I've talked with him a couple times, as he lives somewhere close to LA, and has been to several of the car show I was also attending. He happens to be one of the few men alive to have created a car... Norm Grabowski with the t bucket, though recently died, did, and Meyers with the dune buggy's familiar body style vs all the jalopys that used to roam dunes, and few others have created a vehicle we all know of
Deletehttps://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2018/05/chuck-connors-looking-very-similar-to.html I covered the movie The Cowboy In Africa
I never heard of Bruce's involvement with the movie though, and suspect he was taken advantage of from naivete as an hoonest guy who lived in a world where people were honest and did the right thing.
That's of course, the large part of why his success was killed by competition.
Glad you explained the Ocelot name, I was wondering what wuld possess someone choose that.
ReplyDeleteI'm ridiculously glad that someone appreciated that I drew the connection to explain the name! It was an epiphany
DeleteMy dad was Marion Ruggles who designed and manufactured the Ocelot. He loved off road adventure and we spent many weekends in Ocatillo Wells and Pusmo Beach. He died last September at 91. He would be so happy to know his cars are still remembered and still can be found here and there.
ReplyDeletewow! I'm shocked you found this post, and any time you'd like to see a well made and thorough tribute post to the life, times, work, and accomplishments of your dad on my blog, just help my out by supplying all that info, and I'll make an article you can be proud of.
DeleteGlad you dropped me a note! I'm a bit surprised that I haven't heard of, and posted about, the Ocelot before, but, I'm not focused on buggy's, and there's so much to learn about ANY type of car or hobby
I am always on the lookout for info on dad's cars, they were his passion. I wish my memory served me better on some details, I was about 10 when he really got rolling with Sand Chariots, his dune buggy manufacturing business in Fullerton Ca. If I can recall anything more, I will share it. My siblings may also have something to add, hopefully they will.
DeleteHello
DeleteJust wondering if there is a list of how many were made of each model of the Ocelot?
I have two Ocelot IIs one Ocelot 1 and a Ocelot "truck" Brush Buggy
Thank you
I doubt it, you probably know more about them than anyone else. Lucky to have two of them, I've never even SEEN one in person!
DeleteHi well my dad was Don Haskin who designed the unique Bushwhacker Dune Buggy. You need to learn the truth. Marion Juggles did NOT design the Ocelot. He got one of the first Bushwhacker bodies for sale and cut the nose off calling it the Ocelot 1. He copied the Bushwhacker so fast that he got it in the same magazine where dad unveiled his unique design ( Dune Buggies & Hot Vw's August 1968) And claimed he designed it! Later he got bolder and just copied the Bushwhacker's full body -filling in the unique center driving light holes to make a bump, adding a square to the bottom of the dash and called it the Ocelot SS(gee Bushwhacker SS? wonder where he got that name?) President Johnson had just relaxed patent laws to promote business, and the judges would allow small changes and "cloning" (Bruce Meyers couldn't stop the cloning either) This made my dad so mad-he pulled the bodies off the market and instead made 500+ driving buggies for rental cars making him and his partner the 7th largest carmaker in the US in 1968. The Bushwhacker was one of the first buggies that was not a Manx "clone" and the first buggy with an integral side-pod later copied by many. My dad DESIGNED his unique buggy like a boat - lateral bulkheads with 4 thin strips of wood creating the curves - 4 lines running the length of the fenders making the curvy shape - in his mind he was creating a Ferrari 330 P4 shaped buggy-it was a pisser when his unique work showed up as the Ocelot. Time for truth to be told - Please do not say Marion Juggles DESIGNED the Ocelot - It is not true.
DeleteNothing I wrote contradicts what you wrote. I didn't write about the Bushwacker, and I have no dog in this hunt.
DeleteIf you have to fight about who did what to which buggy, and all that, take it up with them.
If you want to have me write an article on the Bushwacker, and how it was screwed over by the Ocelot, you're going about it the wrong way.
You already know I got no problem straightening out the history of who ripped off the Manx, and I'll do the same for any other car maker, and to any other scammer.
But you ain't coming at this right.
If you want this done right, You need to figure this a different way, and one that your lawyer is going to back you on when someone hits you with a lawsuit over slander.
Know what I mean?
Of course Jesse - i'm not fighting over anything- I got no beef with you or anything you wrote but anyone says that Marion Ruggles designed the Ocelot needs to know the truth (his kids included). It took 35 years for the truth to come out. This is all documented - Author James Hale in his dune buggy books called him an "Unscrupulous Plagiarist" All I'm doing is putting out the truth, That's not coming at this the right way? If someone wants to sue me for slander- bring it on - the problem for them is to prove it. Marion Ruggles created cool Ocelot dune buggies by copying the Bushwhacker and cutting it up different ways for 3 different "clones". Period. Just please don't say he designed it.
DeleteHello
ReplyDeleteI have two Ocelot II bodies and my Uncle has a Ocelot I just wondering what headlight buckets are suppose to be in them?
Thank you
Randy
so, you have 3 to use for reference, I have none, and have never seen one in person, and you're asking me?
DeleteYou are barking up the wrong tree
I suspect you'll find the answer on the internet though.
I expect they would be JC Whitney or VW headlight buckets
Delete