Dunebuggy? What comes toy our mind when you hear that word? It means many things to many people. For some of the old timers when you heard that word you may have thought about the old water pumpers. We always called them Hillbilly Buggies. You know the muffler tube chassis that were welded together in someone's garage over a few, ok a ton of beer. They had a solid rear axle with no suspension, usually a set of paddles you would swear were three feet wide and a V8 with an automatic or 4 speed transmission. I'll never forget the first time that I remember seeing one. I was around seven or eight years old. I thought it was the ugliest thing I ever saw BUT when he stepped on the throttle every one stopped in their tracks. He would take this buggy and drive it half way up comp hill in Oceano Dunes. We all thought "What the …". Then he would nail it and throw rooster tails 75 feet long and put two foot ruts in the side of that hill. Man that was cool.

On the other hand for us younger guys or those that may be new to the sport, when you hear the word Dunebuggy; I know what comes to your mind. 4130 Chromoly, 20" Travel, King Shocks, 100 Foot jumps, several hundred horsepower and race gas. YA BABY!

Bowl's the size of a football field? Here is a four seat car (Look closely and you'll see all the passengers) hitting the top lip of a bowl that has a mouth the size of a football field. You could say this is the Off-Road version of a NASCAR shortrack.

"Chromoly? Who ever heard of Chromoly? Isn't that something NASA uses?" That's what my uncle asked me one time. Today's sandcars, as they are more commonly known today are marvels of engineering. Huge wheel travel, race car components, Billet aluminum Chrome, graphics V8 motors and the list goes on. From Backyard budget to unlimited budget, sandcars are more advanced today than ever before. Today what you see standard in a sandcar was what was seen just a few years ago in some of the most advanced desert racecars in the Baja 1000. It also seems that sandcars are popping up everywhere. From Chevy commercials to Fear factor, Sandcars are making their presence.

This car is a Class 1 racecar from Tatum Motorsports. The design is based upon their spyder sandcar. Today, sandcars are using technology seen on cars such as this. 3" Bypass shocks, 934 Mid Board Hubs, Howe Power Rack & Pinions and more.

What are some features of today's sandcars? Who are the builders that are putting these together? What's the difference between a $25,000 dollar sandcar and a $50,000 sandcar? Where can you drive these custom machines? $18,000 for a transaxle, why? Who can afford these? Glamis, where's that? Pismo? Never heard of it. 600HP out a 2.5 liter Subaru motor?

These are just a few questions that we are going to be covering for you. My name is Alan. I am one of the new editors for offroad.com in the Sand & Dunes section of this website. I have been involved in the Sand Industry for all of my life. My father built dunebuggies from as far back I can remember. I started riding my first 70 ATC when I was three, my brother when he was two. My dad has always had a buggy. Our family usually vacations in the Oceano Dunes (AKA Pismo). This last December was our 26th annual trip to the dunes. I taught my son who was 19 months to ride his little 50 four wheeler. I often joke that if you cut my throat, all you'll get is sand. : Sand runs in our blood. My family also owns a company by the name of Xtreme Motorsports in Bakersfield, CA. We build custom long travel sandrails. The information I will be getting to you is accurate, informative and up to date. If you're in the market for a Sandcar, we'll get answers for you to help in your decision. If you're looking for parts for your Sandcar, we'll assist in helping you make an informed decision. We'll provide you information about where to ride, how much it cost, and when to go.

"This is me on a photoshoot for Sand Addiction Magazine. This is the Sandmaster series sandcar from Xtreme Motorsports. With 23" of wheel travel and a 400 HP Northstar Cadilliac motor, 90 foot jumps are just the beginning"

Not only will we cover sandcars but also ATV's, Trailers, Tow Vehicles, and other sand related items. Interested in buying a trailer. What trailer is right for you and your family? What size vehicle will I need to tow a trailer? What can I fit in a trailer? We'll do the research, interview the professional, measure for ourselves and get you the data.

From time to time we'll be at the SCORE, BITD, MDR and other sanctioned races to compare technologies between Sandcars and desert race cars.

If you have suggestions, comments or even criticism let us know at SandSports@Off-Road.com. We look forward to many great articles to come and welcome to Off-Road.com

Alan