THE CALIFORNIAN MOKE

The Mini Moke was, as the name indicates, a Mini Minor derivative.

The Mini Minor had front and rear sub frames which contained all of the mechanical items and the suspension. The Mini body essentially held the sub frames apart and parallel.

This concept easily led to the construction of a low cost open tray with wings and front grille, no doors, no metal roof.

Not only was the piece price low the tooling cost was low as there were few parts and few of those had tooling complexity.

After some time the Moke was given larger wheels with better ground clearance and less of a toy vehicle look.

It was proposed to sell this vehicle a to dealer in California who had a market in fun vehicles at surfing beaches and after fitting Californian emission devices and some psychedelic trim and paint the vehicle was scheduled for a prototype build so that photographs could be taken

The prototype build was delayed by the LH Drive Steering rack being late from the supplier. Production found that a normal RH Drive Rack would fit the location by inverting the rack and filing the hole out a “little”? and they fitted the rack with the intention of demonstrating their initiative and skill compared with the combined skills of everyone else who could not even buy a LH Rack on time and anyway, they had demonstrated that a RH Rack fitted just as well.

As a prototype for photographs it was a little outside the control and surveillance of the quality control and product engineering.

The product engineer whose problem this was (It certainly was not his mainstream work) knew that the RH Rack fitted upside down would make the car turn left when right was anticipated, but he had “copped enough” from production to be able to look forward to their discomfiture. Others at lunch were allowed into the secret and the moment when the car was finished and driven off the track was gleefully anticipated.

In the end someone with a concern for industrial safety told the production people and face was saved by not starting the car and they pushed it for the photographic session.

Owen McDonald
25-Jun-99

Certainly the side intrusion bars, side marker lights (parkers) and rear mounted tank were mods that were mandatory for the US market. So this is a pretty strong indicator they were designed to go there.

And side intrusion bars??? I've think you've got your wires crossed there.

And side intrusion bars???

Vehicle emissions had to be met and the Austin Atlantic was already complied, so taking the engine and all emissions stuff (air pump and charcoal cannister) from the Atlantic and putting it in the Moke made sense (economically).

Wow, they used the Austin Atlantic engine? At 2660cc it would be quite a performer but since the Atlantic went out of production in 1952 I don't think that they had air pump and charcoal cannister so I doubt that it was the Atlantic engine.

Maybe you mean the Austin America.