Mini Moke
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The Mini Moke is an open car based on the Austin Mini, designed by Sir Alec Issigonis. Made at the Longbridge, Birmingham plant of the British Motor Corporation between 1964 and 1968, 15,000 were produced in the United Kingdom. It was subsequently produced in Australia, Portugal and Italy.
The name comes from the Mini car (with which the Moke shares many parts) and Moke which is archaic British slang meaning Donkey.
History
The Mini Moke came about originally as a proposal for a light military vehicle in the style of the American Jeep, but its small tires and low ground clearance made it impractical as an off-road vehicle. It was then offered in a civilian version as a low cost, easily maintained, utility vehicle. The Moke used engine, transmission and suspension that was identical to the basic Mini, with low-end 850cc engine and the same ten-inch wheels. In the initial offering, passenger seats and a removable canvas top were optional equipment delivered separately from the vehicle. Owners had to bolt them on themselves.
Mokes were made in England from 1964 until 1968, and in Australia from 1966 to 1981. The Australian version had a 998cc engine and twelve-inch wheels, which made it slightly less impractical for gentle off-road or beach use. Leyland Australia also developed a "Californian" variant that had better waterproofing, thirteen-inch wheels, more comfortable seats and a 1275cc 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.
British Leyland's subsidiary Automoveis in Portugal made a version of the Mini Moke until 1992, and Cagiva of Italy built another 1,500 units, bringing the total production run of Mokes (and Moke derivatives) to about 50,000.
A few four-wheel drive Mokes were made by the addition of a second engine at the back of the car. This was part of BMC's experiment with "Twini" Coopers and Mokes. However, mechanical complications discouraged development beyond the prototype stage.
Operators
- The Mini Moke used to be the official transport for the police in Macau.
- The car rental company Avis in Macau used to run a fleet of CUBs which look like a Moke but use an Austin 1300 engine. The CUB was designed by Charles Anderson of Liverpool, England.
- Happy-Rent-a-Car in Macau ran a fleet of 43 Mini Mokes. They were available for hire until the end of February 2006 when they were finally outlawed by new car safety laws.
Popular Culture
In Australia the Mini Moke was a popular student car into the late 1980s, often adorned with the iconic "Moking is not a wealth hazard" bumper sticker.They were famously used as taxis with striped canopies in the cult TV series The Prisoner. They also appeared in a few James Bond films, usually as open runabouts in the villain's headquarters.
Construction and maintenance
The engine, gearbox, suspension and most mechanical parts are identical to those of a standard Mini, so spares are readily available. However, the bodywork is unique to the Moke. Because there is no chassis the 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 a fair amount of idiosyncratic structural maintenance in order to stay in good running order.
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 replace Moke body components with minimal access to sophisticated machine tools. Bumpers and roof supports are of simple tubular construction.
The two side 'pontoons' carry the fuel tank on one side and the battery on the other. They also provide some much needed storage compartments. The windscreen is flat and can easily be unbolted as required.
References
- Mini Moke, 1964-1994 (Brooklands Road Test Books) by R. M. Clarke, R. M. Nuttall
- Mini Moke Ultimate Portfolio by R M Clarke
- Mini Moke 1964-1989 by Tim Nuttall
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| Moke | Moke (UK) | Moke (Aus) | Moke (Portugal) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| pickup | Mini Pickup | Mini 95 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| estate | Traveller/Countryman | MINI Traveller | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| cabrio | Rover Cabrio | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| British Leyland | The rise and fall of British Leyland - the car companies and the brands () | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Morris Garages (MG) | BMW | MGR | Nanjing | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Vanden Plas | Ford [3] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rover | Rover | BMW/MGR [4] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Land Rover | Ford | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alvis[5] | BAE Systems | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Standard | Standard Triumph | Leyland | BMW/Triumph[6] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Dawson | Triumph | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
[2] The Wolseley trademark is registered (UK 1490228) to MG Rover Group Ltd for automobiles only. It is believed that Nanjing Automotive may have purchased this from MG Rover, however the brand has not been -reassigned as of July 2006 to a different company. The UK building materials supplier Wolseley plc owns the rights to the Wolseley name for all other purposes. Wolseley plc is a descendant of the original Wolseley company.
[3] The Vanden Plas trademark is owned by Ford (through Jaguar) for use within the USA and Canada, and as (UK 1133528, E2654481) to MG Rover Group Ltd for use in the rest of the world. It is belived that Nanjing Automotive may have purchased this from MG Rover, however the trademark has not been recorded as reassigned as of 17 July 2006. This is why Jaguar XJ Vanden Plas models are branded as Daimlers in Britain. The last Rover to use the Vanden Plas name was the Rover 75 Vanden Plas, a long wheelbase limousine model.
[4] The Rover trademark is owned by BMW and was only licenced to MG Rover Group Ltd. BMW has indicated the Rover brand name is for sale and there is speculation that Nanjing or Chinese rivals SAIC wish to purchase the brand outright.
[5] Alvis was purchased from British Leyland by United Scientific Holdings plc in 1981, in 2002 Alvis merged with part of Vickers Defence Systems to form Alvis Vickers which was purchased by BAE Systems in 2004. BAE Systems did not acquire Alvis through their ownership of Austin Rover Group / Rover Group in the early 1990s. Production of Alvis branded cars ceased in 1967. The trademark is owned by Alvis Vehicles Ltd
[6] The use of the Triumph name as a trademark for vehicles is shared between BMW and Triumph Motorcycles Ltd. The former for automobiles and the latter for motorcycles. The motorcycle and car business separated in the 1930s.
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