When I was still 14 and my brother had just turned 17 he bought a old VW that had rolled. We unbolted the body, and tossed it. We cut two feet out of the middle and shorted the wheel base to just under 6 feet axle to axle. We went to the abandon and derelict old prison and cut up pipe used in the handrails. It was very thick walled and stout. We welded up a very ugly but indestructible dune buggy. The opposite of the Myers Manx. No fiberglass, just steel pipe and sheet metal.
We had fun playing bounce off of trees. Haul ass down a muddy slippery road and if the corner was too tight, hit the tree, and bounce off, and keep going.
This was in Alabama in the early 1970s. No inspection of any sort. It was 100% street legal. That is what I learned to drive in, off road. I practiced my parallel parking in it, and during my driver's test it was obvious I nailed the back in part and he did not even make me pull forward while driving the 1960 VW.
I was pretty good at dirt tracking the buggy, but I was sure not to try that with the examiner in the car with me.
