KYOTE

  Dean Jeffries' fame derives from the automotive creations he dreamed up for Hollywood over the last 40 years. Jeffries began his career working as a pinstriper on Indianapolis race cars, but soon went on to create his own race car, the Mantaray.  Built from a pre-war Maserati Grand prix racer, the Mantaray won the Tournament of Fame at the Oakland Road Show in 1963, and launched Jeffries into show biz {Hollywood was increasingly keen to use his design and building talents}.
  An early creation was the futuristic-looking touring car called the Monkeemobile, shown each week in the opening sequence of the Monkees' TV show. The project soon led to another vehicle, this time designed for a Monkees movie called HEAD.  As well  as the melange of flower-power, psychedelia and music, the script called for a dune buggy to cruise across the desert in a bizarre sequence where it is attacked by a giant.  Jeffries was already thinking about producing a street buggy and the movie was the catalyst he needed to begin production of the car....

  At the front. the smooth hood swept down in a graceful curve, and the curved fenders housed a pair of recessed headlights which could be covered with protective plexiglass shields.  The one-piece body moulding had an inbuilt dashboard and took a full compliment of instruments, whilst, at the rear, the wide fenders could cover 12in wheels and tires, so the car was legal for street use.  The rear deck of the buggy formed another graceful curve and gave good coverage for the VW engine, as well as forming a mount for the VW rear lights.
  Later additions to the basic bodyshell included curved side panels that ran from the body waistline to the floorpan, behind which long-range fuel tanks were fitted for extra-mileage capacity, or they could be used as additional storage space if a side pocket was cut into the main bodyshell.
  In a bid to improve aerodynamics and cover the VW suspension, a nose section was developed for the area beneath the front hood. An engine cover that attached to the body was also offered, and could be easily removed {merely by releasing the bolts} to ready the car for off-road use.
  The Kyote kit was offered in various stages of completeness: just a body; with all mounting hardware and a windshield; with all panels for street use.

  Although the buggy sold well for street use, Jeffries wanted to develop a Kyote racer, and so, late in 1968, a very specialised dune buggy rolled out of his styling shop in Hollywood. Undergoing continual change and development following its Mexican 1000 debut at Baja, the Kyote racer proved to be a mobile test-bed for construction details on the street cars, as well as providing a rolling advertisement for Jeffries' handiwork....