History of The Mini Moke

So, what exactly is a Mini Moke?

What follows is an excerpt from "A Guide to Mini Mokes", published by The Mini Moke Club in 1997. The book is still available from the club and is highly recommended reading if you are contemplating purchasing a Moke, already own a Moke, or just interested in this most unusual of the Mini derivatives.

Far from being a generic term for a boxy, very fun, open vehicle, "Mini Moke" or "Moke" means only one thing: A little piece of motoring history. Contrary to popular belief, they were never available in kit form, but have always been factory produced using a steel monocoque body pan mounted on Mini sub frames and powered by an "A" series Mini engine/gearbox unit. Be it England, Australia or Portugal, they have always left the factory fully assembled.

The Mini Moke was designed by Sir Alec Issigonis at the same time as the Mini Saloon. The first pre-production prototype was produced in 1959 and a handful of other prototype Mini Mokes were made up until 1964, including a couple of four wheel drive versions with two engines. Some of these prototypes are still in existence (see left).

The first production Mini Moke was manufactured in January 1964 at BMC's Longbridge factory in Birmingham, England. Production continued until late October 1968 when around 15,000 English Mokes had been produced.