1970 Leyland Mini Moke

Description

Best known of the many derivatives of the Mini, also designed by Sir Alec Issigonis, was the Moke - essentially a stripped down, utilitarian version developed with both military and commercial applications in mind. Indeed the original design brief called for a car light enough to be dropped by parachute and with the ability to cover difficult terrain. Unfortunately the small wheels and limited ground clearance made it impractical for off-road use and the British forces ultimately rejected the design. Instead, BMC marketed the Moke as a 'fun car' and entered production for the civilian market in 1964, with the vast majority earmarked for export. Although it shared the same running gear and general layout as the Mini, the Moke used an entirely new pressed-steel monocoque platform that did away with doors and most of the bodywork in general. The Moke could seat four passengers and came with rudimentary weather protection in the form of a folding hood and plastic side curtains. Production of the Moke switched to BMC's Zetland plant in Australia between 1966 until 1981 and a number of changes were made to the specifications to suit local conditions. These included wider track, bigger 13-inch wheels, longer rear trailing arms, new seats and more powerful locally-made 1098cc engines from 1969 until 1976, when the introduction of strict new ADRs saw the Moke revert to the cleaner, imported 998cc unit. In total some 26,142 Mokes left the production lines in Sydney, with many of these earmarked for export. The Moke is pretty durable and finding a car free from the dreaded rust is the biggest problem, with the 1098cc engine and drivetrain relatively unbreakable. Ideal as a beachside runabout, the Moke is fantastic fun to drive and surprisingly practical, with plenty of room for surfboards and gear behind the seats.