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Original Year
 1981
# of pieces
 170
Categories
 Cars and Trucks: Buggies
Dimensions
 24(L)x13(W)x17(H)
Features
 Steering, Independent
Rear Suspension
Other Views

8845 Dune Buggy
iso revolve
Click the image to download the LDraw file of this model.
Model by Rene Kok
Set 8845 was released in 1981 and was the smallest set that year.  It features rack and pinion steering and independent rear suspension.

This model is an interesting mix of old and new (for the time).  The seat is still constructed of standard bricks, as is the bed of the truck and the grille.  However, the suspension was new for a small model, and this was the first model to use the new specialized steering elements.  It was also the one of the first sets to use the new toothed connectors which this model uses in large quantity to build a body shell around the vehicle.

Many more buggies would be released in the future, almost all of which feature steering and suspension inspired by this one.

Features
Steering
The front wheels can be steered using a wheel at the driver's position.  The wheel drives an axle connected to a 16 tooth spur gear via a universal joint.  Another spur gear mates with this one and drives a pair of 8 tooth pinions on the same axle.  The pinions drive a rack.  The steering mechanism itself uses the new control arms and toothed links.  In this case, the control arms actually face forward which is the reason that the extra 16 tooth gear was needed to reverse the motion and align it with the input wheel.

 steering    steering
Click for an animation of the steering in motion.
Suspension
Each rear wheel is attached to a swing arm which is supported by a shock absorber.  Because there is no continuous axle, this effectively gives the model independent rear suspension.

The suspension has very large travel, and a pair of 1x1 tiles prevent the arms from "sticking" when bottomed out.
 engine
Click for an animation of the suspension in motion.
Wheels and Tires
This set uses four rubber 17x43 tires and standard old gray wheels.
 Wheels
 

Other Views
Side View
side view
 Top View
top view
Front View
front view
 Computer Render
render

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