(first posted 5/23/2013) Take a compact economy car chassis and make it into an inexpensive utility vehicle for your country’s armed forces. In Germany, this formula produced the Volkswagen-based Kubelwagen (“Bucket Car”), a successful design that was the Jeep of the German armed forces during the Second World War. After the war, the Kubelwagen would begat the civilian market Type 181 Thing, which became a popular beach cruiser, still seen on the road in far-flung sunny places from California to Bali. In the United Kingdom, this formula produced a more esoteric vehicle: the Mini Moke.
“Moke” is an informal British word for donkey, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, and the name is an indication of the vehicle’s origins. Sir Alec Issigonis, the designer of the Mini, also designed the Mini Moke in an attempt to fill a British Army request for a lightweight, air-transportable utility vehicle. Prototype open top vehicles based on the Mini platform, with the same 80 inch wheelbase as the Mini, were produced in 1959-63 for British Army, Royal Marine, and Royal Air Force trials. They included a 4WD version with dual engines and drivetrains, front and rear.
The lack of ground clearance and low power of the Mini Moke doomed it as a military vehicle from the beginning, though. Predictably, the only interest from the British armed forces was in using them on completely flat surfaces – on the flight decks of Royal Navy aircraft carriers. The Australian armed forces used a small number of them, but they were a fringe vehicle.
The Mini Moke instead found its place in the civilian automotive marketplace, as an open-topped beach cruiser. A 30 year production run followed, in multiple countries, under several parent companies. BMC produced the Mini Moke in Birmingham from 1964 to 1968 and in Sydney, Australia from 1966 to 1982. British Leyland moved production to Portugal in 1983, where it continued until 1989 under Austin Rover Portugal. Cagiva, an Italian motorcycle manufacturer that owns Ducati and MV Agusta, bought the rights to the Mini Moke in 1990 and continued production in Portugal until 1993.
This view next to a Honda Civic shows why the Mini Moke was destined to be a fringe vehicle in either military or civilian use. It has to be one of the smallest, lowest four wheeled vehicles ever produced. There are big wheeled ATVs that are comparable in length and width.
The Mini Moke has its charms, though, and it is easy to see why it lasted for 30 years and continues to have an enthusiastic following. Like the original Mini, it is a full four seater, provided that the four people are not very big and are friendly. Just the thing (pun intended) for couples zipping around a beach resort. A golf cart will perform the same function, but it is clear which does it with more character.
In addition to being as small as it gets, the Mini Moke is as simple as it gets. Flat seats, simple central instrument panel, open package shelves, exposed heater hoses and windshield wiper motor and mechanism – the driver of the Mini Moke gets an honestly mechanical view. The front passenger gets a grab handle and little else.
The two rear passengers get their own grab handles and their very own shock towers, and that is all. If they sit down carelessly, they get a shock of a different sort. All part of the beach vacation experience.
Everyday life packages you into plain white boxes, but on vacation, you get to go wild and crazy and topless. The Mini Moke, like the VW Thing, is misplaced in the former but fits perfectly into the latter. Beach cruiser is a strange destiny for designs that began as military vehicles, but it has given these two cars a sort of automotive immortality.
I’d have thought the British weather would have put a damper on sales.I’ve had to wear gloves today it’s so cold
‘I’d have thought the British weather would have put a damper on sales.’
I see what you did there! 😀
Here is a dual engined Moke.
Taken in 2003 at the Heritage Motor Centre in Gaydon. Unfortunately poor quality due to cheap film camera then transfer to CD.
I remember plenty of these running around in Queensland in the late 70s.
Popular as hire cars on Magnetic Island off the coast at Townsville. I remember my father almost putting us over a cliff driving to the old WWII gunnery posts back in the late 1970s.
I guess the dual-engined version would be a Moke with Poke.
I have never in my life seen one of these. Very interesting.
Neither have I, even though I live near Falls Church, Va., where these photos seem to have been taken. Maybe this car only comes out during fair weather.
c5karl,
You are correct – I spotted this Mini Moke in Falls Church, VA. Oddly, I have seen three Mini Mokes, and all of them were in Arlington or Falls Church during the past 10 years. Maybe they are being imported in some numbers now, as more of them pass the 25 year DOT antique threshold and become easier to import.
My generation of Americans got introduced to the Mini Moke in The Prisoner, now one of those TV ‘cult classics’. It was the only vehicle seen in The Village where ex-spy No. 6 was being held, and performed quite well out on the beach in his numerous escape attempts.
Be seeing you.
Ah, The Prisoner. I still have it on VHS tapes! The Mini Moke was the perfect vehicle for that surreal little village.
Beat me to it. That was my introduction to these cars as well.
Same generation – same first thought . Brilliant TV series. Watch out for Rover…
Yes! We want information….
Popular around Aussie beach areas when they ran, so were roofless beetles but not really much of a car theres only a Morris 1100 underneath and that awful powertrain noone would contenplate fixing. The VW was known as Hitlers revenge out here and BMC lemons as Churchills revenge.
I love the Mini Moke. I was looking for one to buy for quite some time, but there’re quite rare here in NZ, and the few that are around are either basket cases or relatively expensive.
There used to be one at a house not far from where I lived, on my paper route. My Dad (who used to help me with the weekend papers) used to tell me about how they used to use them for running patients around the military hospital, he was a medic in the Australian army in the 60’s and 70’s. He reckoned they were great, which I suppose they were, in that particular role.
Then when I took my girlfriend at the time (now wife) away to Waiheke Island for a romantic weekend (when I proposed) we hired the hotel’s restored Moke (http://www.boatshed.co.nz/moke.aspx) to blast around the island. I absolutely loved driving that car, heaps of fun, especially on some of the unsealed roads on the outer areas of the island.
Such a quirky design, I’m still on the look-out, but not too hopeful of ever managing to get hold of one….
Edit: just noticed their clause “•This vehicle can not be taken on unsealed roads” – oops, perhaps that’s my fault.
It almost looks as if it should fold up into a suitcase suitable for carrying around when you are not using it.
Growing up in Seattle, I saw a few in the summer. It really is that small! But it was cute as a button.
I really hope you did a write-up about the B-body station wagon in the background 🙂
Chad,
A write-up about that Olds Custom Cruiser is coming! It is mine, and I have interesting plans for it. I am preparing it for a rather extreme road trip.
In the ’60s, there was one driving around Western Springs, a suburb of Chicago. I never knew what it was until I saw a reference to it in CC. The local Britcar dealer usually sold MGs, TRs and Jaguars, but no Austins that I recall, at least before the rollout of the Austin America.
I drove a Moke aged about age 7 or 8, family friends had a ~1980 California version (which had 13″ wheels for better ground clearance) that we would take for a spin – on private property of course. Also came across one with a tray back used as a farm runabout, the analogy to a quad bike is very apt. I dare say the Moke would have been much cheaper, and on the road the ability to do 60mph plus would be a bonus.
I also saw a military version complete with trailer (not many of those built), which were used either on-base or for travel into town essentially for administrative purposes. They still had full mil-spec wiring etc.
That just sounds absurd: “Yeah, I stepped up the the big 13″ wheels for more ground clearance”.
13″ wheels were huge for a vehicle that originally had 10″ rims. And in the mid-60’s the fintail Mercedes – a fairly large car for the time – had 13’s. Remember, those were the days when a 70% aspect ratio tire was considered low profile. Actually, those were the days BEFORE 70% aspect ratios.
70 series tires were still considered low-profile well into the 1980s. I generally saw 60 series tires only on muscle cars and hot rods, often on the rear wheels only. Also, unlike today, the wide-section tires usually were just as tall as the standard 78, 80, or 82 series tires they replaced; they were just wider.
A friend-of-a-friend’s parents had one when I was in college in the mid-70’s in California. I lived about 50 miles away and I can’t imagine how the car got to our town without using the freeway. And it was an 850. I rode in it a few times and briefly drove it once. Two or three guys could pick up the backend. In addition to the Moke and the Thing, there was of course the Citroen Mehari which was probably a bigger commercial success than the other two. I have seen a few in the US.
“This picture was taken at Surfers Paradise Raceway in 1966 and is being driven by Smith/Seeton in the 12 hour endurance at Surfers Paradise International Raceway. The Moke appears to be an early 10″ wheeled variety and it still has the spare wheel on the rear which is strange considering efforts to make other aspects of the Moke aerodynamic.” 12 hours staying out of the way of Ferrari’s, not my idea of fun Motorsport…..
The Moke may not have been a success with the military, but plenty of Bond villians deployed them within their secret lairs. A nice bright yellow one can be seen in the hidden rocket base in You Only Live Twice, and one is used by the crew of the supertanker in The Spy Who Loved Me. One appears in Moonraker also.
James Bond even drives one briefly in Live and Let Die.
So there you go, its a Bond car 😉
( not to be confused with a Bond Bug )
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Enoch
A Choke is not a Moke. Only a Moke is a Moke.
KJ in Oz
1971 my sister married a man who owned a very nice Mini panel van but in 1972 he bought a new red Mini Moke.A few months later he got his 1st posting as a lighthouse keeper on a remote island off the coast of Tasmania.He gave the Moke to my father in repayment of a loan.My father serviced the Buick sedans,Holden utes,International truck,bulldozer and logskidder himself but due to being busy he got the local petrol station to change the oil in his 1964 EH Holden ute,we soon realised the mechanic had used a detergent oil in the high milage EH and it wrecked the motor,had to be rebuilt.So father,brother and me had to take the Moke about 120 miles into the bush logging camp,no showers for 5 days,freezing cold,Mokes are no fun in winter.Friday night we were looking forward to getting home,showers,food etc and on a deserted gravel “highway”,pitch black dark,the Moke stopped dead and we could not revive it.Dad didn’t usually swear but he did that night,brother had to walk many miles to a remote lake fishing lodge where there was a phone box to call a mechanic.We had to wait a few hours and then the tow truck arrived.Fun to drive in summer but not reliable,dad sold it as soon as the EH was back on the road.
In 1973/4 as a 16/17 yo,I got a job as admin assistant in new car sales for a Leyland dealer,RR,Bentley,Daimler,Jaguar,Rover,Landrover,Range Rover,P76,Mini and Moke and the Marina [the worst car I have ever driven].With the exception of RR and Bentley,I was lucky enough to drive all those vehicles and some very nice older Jags and Rovers which were traded in.The Tasmanian Government Railways was looking for a replacement vehicle for its maintenance crews motorised trolleys and decided on a fleet of Mokes,narrow guage railway tracks in Tasmania.A fleet of Mokes was modified to their specifications including a full metal top and doors.The Mokes looked odd driving along the rail lines.I have no pics of them and often wondered if any survived.
The railway Moke.
Ive heard of these from an old timer on the rail in Tassie but never seen a live one pics yep but they’re like the tiger there might be one left.
Did some more research and there is at least one railway Moke left in Tasmania.I remember the two salesmen and me driving the yellow coloured Mokes to the railway workshops in Invermay,Launceston.Not so sure about the tiger though,laugh!
I’ve wondered about putting a modern 1.6 litre injected engine & 5 speed transaxle in one.
With the Moke’s ‘aerodynamics’ you’d have no top end, but you’d get there quickly.
And suprise a lot of folks while doing it.
There was a V8 powered one as a promotional vehicle here in Aus. From memory it
had a 308/5litre Holden engine in it.
Brand new ones here:
https://www.mokeamerica.com
on holidays on Ischia the local car rental place had some Mokes, I couldn’t resist. it was great fun to drive. it left me wanting a Moke body and the drive train and suspension bits from a Cooper S……probably never going to happen
I have never seen one of these. I live near to New York City. Very interesting including and especially the humorous remarks about these vehicles. Thanks, gents!
Quite a few of these driving around Grenada in 83. Seemed like a perfect vehicle for a small Caribbean island with low speed roads. Never got to drive one. I did get mighty close to having one take off a foot. My driver almost sideswiped a Moke exiting a roundabout. Stupid me has my foot on top of the door cutout of an M151 to use my leg as a rifle rest.
I’m convinced God has a soft spot in his heart for the careless Idiot the younger me sometimes resembled.
Got to attend a local British Car Show a few years back, finally getting a chance to drive a Rover SD1, and oogle over several early Range Rovers and Land Rovers, Triumphs, early Jags of all descriptions, Austin Allegros and Morris Marinas that still worked, and loads of Minis (some legally here due to esoteric things done with VIN plates). But not even a single Mini Moke, a car I’ve seen many times in movies, television, magazines and online, but never in real life to this day. – which continues….:-(
It makes Jeep CJ or Wrangler accomodations seen luxurious by comparison – I mean, rear seat passengers can lean back against a cushion! Such comfort! Rear accomodation in a Mini Moke looks more like sitting on your folded legs in an uncovered pickup bed
The rear seat has been removed from this one!
In May 2016, when my wife and I were participating in the Classic Car Adventures “Spring Thaw” rally where we driving through the mountains of British Columbia, we met an enthusiastic Father-Daughter team from Vancouver driving a Mini Moke. Because of the cold and at times driving rain they kept warm and dry with snow mobile suits while driving at Balls-Out speed. An impressive Moke, and great fun to see driven with enthusiasm.
Another view of the Moke during a ferry crossing.
Given its heritage on aircraft carriers, for one brief shining moment the Moke was the most useful vehicle on that entire ferry.
Cosmic wheels and Yokohama A008R tires; that was pretty serious footwear when I first started autocrossing in the mid-80s.
I don’t know when those tires were molded, nor when that series were superseded, but I’m thinking those must be getting about as grippy as round cinder blocks!
Still, a pretty cool little vehicle.
CC effect … I saw a red Mike on the street here in California last week. I briefly drove an 850 Mike about 40 years ago but don’t remember much about it. Not as fun as another friend’s built 1275 Mini I drove around the same time.
These were very popular as hired cars in Barbados in the 60s, 70s and 80s too, and in the 1990s a local company was producing them using parts from the Rover Metro at first, and then the Suzuki Alto. Now a local firm produces Moke lookalikes using Chevy Sparks, Kia Picantos and Hyundai i10s, as cars like this are still very much in demand in the car rental sector.
I was just going to say: when we went to Barbados in the mid-1970s we rented Mini Mokes. It was my first experience driving a car on the road, at age 14 – don’t know why my father let me do it, but I wasn’t about to complain.
Back in the day, there was a popular bumper sticker for these:
‘Moking is a wealth hazard’.
Never seen that military version with the ugly grille.
The side box sections are different too and the front wheel arches higher, so I suspect it’s an artist’s impression based on an early prototype.
Hmm, a quick search has revealed a picture of one just like it here: http://www.nydailynews.com/autos/street-smarts/bizarre-car-week-1980-leyland-mini-moke-article-1.2317902
(2nd picture)
Nice find. cheers Bernard
I find it highly amusing that the featured car here has a heater!
Happy Motoring, Mark
Hi, All,
New versions available now. Both gas & electric version.
Interested? ^_^
https://www.facebook.com/tom.ye.3766
You might notice that Mokes from Australia had a removable flat grill with the Knurled nuts like on the valve cover. This was invented right on the shop floor and made for better access. I met a man who was there !
Close Greg, but the grille was screwed in place.
It was about 1975 if I recall when they changed over.
This post and the ensuing comments are not complete without mentioning the Crosley Farm-O-Road.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crosley#/media/File:Crosley_Farm_O_Road_without_front_bumper.jpg
A friends wife had a Moke. She blew it up at a party in mid 1990’s. The Moke had a fuel leak somewhere near the fuel tank (fuel tank mounted on the sides of the car, you step over it to get access to inside the vehicle). During party some party goers smoking near the Moke got a bit of a surprise when it caught fire.
I wasn’t there so not sure how true story is, but did make the local newspaper. The Moke didnt survive.
Great post and comments.
Surprised nobody mentioned that the Moke was stackable. Fold down the windscreen and the flat wing tops allow another one on top. This was to make them easier to transport for the military, was also used when they were being exported.
Nothing to add to the Moke story, i’ve never even seen one. I thought Ducati was owned by Audi (VW), but I’ve been wrong before.
Ducati is owned by VW, but wasn’t when this article was written.