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The Mini Moke is a vehicle based on the Mini and designed for the British Motor Corporation (BMC) by Sir Alec Issigonis. The name comes from "Mini" – the car with which the Moke shares many parts – and "Moke", which is archaic British slang for "donkey".
The initial design was a prototype for a light military vehicle in the style of the American Jeep, but its small wheels and low ground clearance made it impractical as an off-road vehicle. It was subsequently offered in a civilian version as a low cost, easily maintained, utility vehicle. The Moke finally achieved success as beach buggy - becoming a popular 'cult' vehicle in Australia, the USA and many tropical holiday resorts. The Moke used identical engine, transmission and suspension parts to the basic Mini.
Mokes were first built at BMC's Longbridge, Birmingham plant, but production was soon moved overseas. 14,500 Mokes were produced in the UK between 1964 and 1968, 26,000 in Australia between 1966 and 1981 and 10,000 in Portugal and Italy between 1980 and 1993.
[] History
When Issigonis designed the Mini, he also planned another vehicle to use the Mini's mechanical parts, but with a more rugged body shell, in an attempt to take some of the military vehicle market from Land Rover. Issigonis had previously designed the Nuffield Guppy in a failed attempt to break into that market. By 1959 BMC had working prototypes of what was code-named the Buckboard - later to become the Moke. These prototypes were shown to the British Army as a parachute-droppable vehicle - but poor ground clearance and a low powered engine did not meet even the most basic requirements for an off-road vehicle. Only the Royal Navy showed any interest at all in the Buckboard - as a vehicle for use on the decks of Aircraft Carriers.
Early promotional material made much of the lightness of the vehicle - showing four soldiers riding in the Moke off-road - then picking it up by its tubular bumpers and carrying it when (inevitably) its low ground clearance proved inadequate to the task.
In a further attempt to make something for the army, a few four-wheel drive Mokes were made by the addition of a second engine at the back of the vehicle with linked clutches and gear shifters. However, this did nothing to solve the ground-clearance issue and mechanical complications discouraged development beyond the prototype stage. This strange vehicle was called "The Twini" and was shown to the US Army - again with no success.
[] British Mokes
Eventually BMC gave up on the idea of selling the Moke to the military and in 1963 the decision was made to build a civilian version; aiming it at farmers and other light commercial applications.
The Moke was launched onto the British market in 1964, but the British Customs and Excise department decided that it should be classified as a passenger car rather than as a commercial vehicle, and so would attract Purchase Tax. Although this extra tax damaged sales in its intended UK market,[4] it did attract attention as a 'cult' vehicle as a result of the unprecedented success of the Mini and through media exposure in the popular television series 'The Prisoner'. Of the 14,500 British Mokes sold, only about a tenth of them stayed in Britain.
Mokes were made in England from 1964 until 1968, with low-end 850 cc engine (tuned to run on low-octane fuel) and the same ten inch (25 cm) wheels as the standard Mini. In the initial offering, passenger seats, grab handles, heater, windscreen washer and a removable canvas top were all optional equipment delivered separately from the vehicle. Owners had to bolt these optional extras onto the vehicle themselves. The only colour available was "Spruce Green".
[] Australian Mokes
Mokes were built in Australia from 1966 to 1981. Australian Mokes had 12 inch (30 cm) wheels, which made them more practical for gentle off-road or beach use than the British version. This variant started with a 998 cc engine which was switched in mid production to a 1098 cc version but eventually reverted to 998 cc to reduce cost. Leyland Australia also developed a variant called "The Californian" that had better waterproofing, 13 inch (33 cm) wheels, more comfortable seats and a 1275 cc engine. These were marketed briefly in the United States in 1972, but were not widely accepted despite the addition of such trendy optional extras as nerf bars, a choice of flower patterned fabric tops, denim seat covers and spoked wheels.
Australian mokes were exported to many countries and pioneered large scale exports of Australian-made vehicles. Leyland Australia made much of these exports in its advertising, and the use of Australian made Mokes by the Israeli army (complete with a machine gun tripod mounted in the rear) also attracted some media attention.
There were also at least two four-wheel drive Moke prototypes manufactured by Leyland Australia in the late 1970s. These used just one engine - unlike the British 'Twini' version. One of those prototypes is now privately owned by an enthusiast in Western Australia. Leyland were planning to market this version but the end of Moke production in Australia in 1981 saw the demise of the project.
[] Portuguese and Italian Mokes
As Australian Moke production wound down, manufacturing was transferred to British Leyland's subsidiary in Portugal, who made 8,500 of the 'Californian' Mokes between 1980 and 1992.
Cagiva of Italy built another 1,500 units in 1993, bringing the total production run of Mokes and Moke derivatives to about 50,000.
[] Construction and maintenance
The Moke's construction is extremely simple. The body mainly consists of two box-section 'pontoons' running from the back of the car all the way up to the firewall. The left-hand pontoon contains the fuel tank, the right-hand has a compartment for the battery and a small lockable storage area. In an effort to improve safety in some 'Californian' Mokes, the fuel tank was relocated to the rear of the vehicle. Later Portuguese Mokes have additional lockable storage space at the rear of the vehicle. The optional cloth canopy has plastic side windows and is held up by a thin tubular structure that can easily be removed when not needed. In later versions this was replaced with a more solid roll cage. The windscreen can be unbolted and removed if not needed. Every panel on the Moke is flat - with the exception of the bonnet which is only curved in one direction. This makes it possible to manufacture and replace Moke body components without access to sophisticated machine tools.
The Moke's engine, gearbox and suspension are identical to those of a standard Mini, so spare parts are still readily available. Because there is no chassis, the front and rear subframes holding the wheels, brake assemblies and suspension are bolted straight onto the monocoque shell just as with a standard Mini. Mokes tend to require much structural maintenance if they are to stay in good running order
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