A baja buggy that the legendary Mickey Thompson built and used in the 1980s and ’90s is now up for auction to raise funds for Warfighter Made. The auction, taking place at Bring a Trailer, runs through Monday (July 14).

The buggy was originally a pre-runner constructed by Thompson, an off-road racing legend who later gave it to his friend Dick Landfield. Landfield, who raced in the Mickey Thompson Entertainment Group, then passed it on to the Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame. It eventually made its way to Warfighter Made, who now plans to use the auction to support its operations. Nowadays, the car sits at a private facility in Vista.

It uses an 1835cc Volkswagen Beetle dual-port flat-four engine with a four-speed manual transaxle; the motor also has a Zenith 32NDIX carburetor and K&N air filters. The transaxle sends power to the rear wheels, making it four-wheel drive. The frame was built using 1.5-inch steel tubing along with aluminum body paneling. Marchal lights are installed on the A-pillars.

The seat also features bars protruding out and toward the pedals. According to BaT user Wardy1, who owns two of Thompson’s cars, the bars—along with an accompany shock absorber in the seat—were common additions by Thompson because of a back injury he sustained in a drag boat accident and designed to reduce the stress on his back. Fellow user az45 pointed out the shock in the seat “never really took off” and that there were more practical innovations in later years that offered the same protection, though Toyota introduced a similar device in its 2024 Tacoma called the TRD Pro Isodynamic Performance Seat.

“This unique collaboration with Warfighter Made provides both non-profits with a portion of the proceeds,” reads a statement from Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame executive director Shelley Krehbiel. “Warfighter Made is committed to improving the mental health of military service members, veterans, and their families through recreational therapy, camaraderie therapy, S.T.E.M. educational youth programs, and family-oriented events that promote connection and healing. ORMHOF’s mission is to educate and inspire present and future generations of the off-road community by celebrating the achievements of those who came before.”

The auction can be accessed here.

Featured image credit: Compass Collective