Like the Mini itself, the Mini Moke has always been regarded as a fun car to own, but when it was being produced, it was marketed more towards the outdoor enthusiast, than someone looking for cheap transportation.
Remarkably, for this beach-buggy styled vehicle, which caused bewilderment when it was launched in Britain in 1964, it eventually remained in production for nearly 30 years and enjoyed sales of more than 50,000 -far more than many better known cars.
The idea of a lightweight, "sister" vehicle to go with the regular Mini had been around since the time the Mini was launched at the end of the 1950s, but it was originally conceived as a go-anywhere military vehicle and a number of prototypes were produced. With the armed forces showing no interest though, a civilian Moke was developed, although nobody was quite sure what sort of demand there would be for such a basic open car, especially in such a cold climate as Britain.
Simple body
The vehicle which was launched was constructed of a unitary, rust proofed steel body, had almost the same mechanical components as the regular Mini and had a windscreen which could either be folded flat or removed completely.
Its biggest plus factor when was that at just over £400 it was the cheapest four wheel car on the road. But with only an 848cc engine, an extremely simple interior, only one seat (additional seats were regarded as an optional extra), and only one colour available as standard, it was not particularly surprising that initial sales were sluggish.
Some success was achieved by the quirkiness of the car and to many it took on a cult status following its role in the popular science fiction TV series the Prisoner, where the strange looking Moke seemed perfectly at home among the bizarre surroundings.
But despite the cheap price, there weren't many people in Britain who could find any practical use for the Moke. Indeed, over the four years that it was produced at Longbridge,
more than 90% of the sales were to markets overseas, primarily to warm weather countries where its inherent openness meant they were frequently used as taxis and rental cars, especially at tourist resorts.
Australian Mokes
With sales so much stronger overseas, small-scale production of the Moke began at BMC’s facility in Australia in 1966. This was gradually increased and the car was suitably adapted and improved over time, including a new 1100 cc engine and larger 13 inch wheels.
Production continued in Australia throughout the 1970s, and along the way, many more improvements were made, especially in terms of comfort which had been distinctly lacking when the car was launched in Britain. The Australian Moke also resulted in yet more overseas sales.
Five hundred Mokes were also especially built for the Australian Army, while the Israeli Army adapted a number of Mokes with a machine-gun tripod mounted in the rear. Even the New Zealand Navy purchased a number for use on some of their larger ships.
A number of special edition Mokes were also brought out and with popularity of the Moke concept increasing, Leyland officials saw even more potential sales for the car and introduced the jazzier Moke "Californian" in 1972. This had a more powerful 1275 cc engine and a variety of bright colour schemes and was very firmly aimed at the young affluent outdoor type in the US and elsewhere.
The Moke had clearly been a success in Australia and production finally ended in 1981 after more than 26000 had been built.
Portuguese Mokes
However, around the same time, a British Leyland owned subsidiary in Portugal began building new Mokes from imported Australian kits. This venture was also regarded as a success, although by the end of the 1980s, company executives at Rover (the latest name for the company which was formerly BMC), no longer saw a future for the Moke in their business plans and sold the Moke name and concept to the Cagiva motorbike company in Italy.
Cagiva resumed production of the Moke in Portugal in 1991, with the intention of subsequently transferring production to Italy. But the Italian plans fell through and the last "original" Moke finally came off the production in 1993 -just a few months short of its 30th birthday.
Film now showing
Mini Moke in Las Vegas, Nevada, 1996
The Mini Moke -a small fun car for the great outdoors
Duration: 4 min. 5 seconds
To view the film, scroll to the bottom of the page
Multimedia stories from history
Motoring through history
Follow the evolution of the motor car with a free, online, informative illustrated history of the automobile, go to:
www.motoring-history.com
Film provided courtesy of www.auto-history.tv
(c) Universal Motoring History Enterprises
Much of the advertising was geared to
emphasising the many potential uses of the Moke
One of the final advertisements for the Moke still promoted it as a fun car for those who enjoyed the great outdoors
The civilian Mini Moke was launched in 1964 after
the military showed little interest in such a vehicle
At just over £400 it was the cheapest 4 wheel car
on the road, but was extremely simple and spartan
In warm weather countries, the Mokes have largely been used as fun run-around cars
Many have proved popular in tourist locations where they have often been used as taxis and rental cars
There may be many faster and more aerodynamic cars around, but there are still enthusiasts keen to race their Mokes
As the value of Mokes increases, more of them are now being put aside ready for a complete restoration
Even though there were more than 50,000 Mini Mokes produced, they are not a common sight o the road
Two Mini Mokes together is an extremely rare sight
These days the most common place to see Mokes is at classic car shows or exclusive Mini shows
Above is a fully restored 1967
Moke at an exclusive Mini show
The US armed forces tested a couple of two-engined
Mokes, called Twinnies, but also saw no use for them
The Moke was originaly conceived as a small lighweight military vehicle, but there was little interest
Above is an early ad suggesting the Moke
could be used as the ultimate golf cart
The last Mokes produced were much sturdier and more comfortable than the original models
As with the regular Mini, there were Austin and Morris versions, although the only difference was the badge
By only showing part of the car and lowering the camera,
this clever ad makes the Moke seem bigger than it is
Many owners have repainted their
cars in a variety of striking colours
This brightly coloured Moke has a matching
interior and exterior colour scheme
