Originally conceived for military applications, BMC turned to civilian production of the Mini Moke when the armed forces rejected its proposal. The Moke managed to survive in various forms until the end of 1993, with our feature Cagiva Moke classed as a 1994 model due to its late production date. It is a genuine survivor that has been stored since Day One. Therefore, it is unsurprising to learn that it features a three-digit odometer reading. I must say a big thank you to Barn Finder Tony P for spotting the Moke listed here on Craigslist in San Diego, California. You could become this as-new classic’s new owner for $27,750.
The British military was on the hunt for a lightweight all-terrain vehicle in the early 1960s, and the British Motor Corporation (BMC) stepped up to the plate with the Moke, based on the mechanical components from the hugely successful Mini. However, the Moke was not what the defence forces required. Therefore, BMC decided to recoup development costs by releasing a civilian version in 1964. The lack of decent weather protection hampered sales, with BMC moving manufacturing to Australia. It was believed that the climate Down Under would be a blessing that would boost sales, and this proved correct…up to a point. The Moke underwent significant upgrades throughout its Australian production run, enjoying the title of being that country’s cheapest new car at one point. When production ended in 1981, the tooling found its way to Portugal. Cagiva would eventually buy the rights to the name and production equipment, building the final version of the “original” Moke between 1990 and the end of 1993. This particular vehicle is one of the last built, and due to its late production date, it is one of the rare examples that is classified as a 1994 model. It has spent its entire life in storage, only recently emerging from hiding. Therefore, its seemingly faultless Black paint and tight-fitting soft-top are unsurprising. The seller supplies a selection of underside shots, demonstrating that this beauty is rust-free. The glass is crystal clear, and it seems only appropriate that this survivor rolls on a set of Minilite wheels.
Life inside a Moke is never what could be classed as luxurious, but the later examples were certainly better than those produced in the 1960s. Their seats lacked padding, lateral support, and the lack of protection from the cold made travelling in a Moke pretty ordinary on anything but sunny days. Things changed dramatically by the time this Cagiva version hit the road, with luxurious seats trimmed in dazzling Green vinyl, the top fitting nicely, and a heater that is able to ward off hypothermia. Adding to the versatility, the back seats are removable, providing a pretty impressive cargo area for such a tiny vehicle. This car’s history means that the trim inside this beauty is flawless. There is no wear or evidence of abuse, and the lack of UV damage suggests it has been stored in an almost ideal environment.
When BMC unveiled the Moke to the British military, its “Great Hope” was met with a resounding, “No, thank you.” Two main issues led to its downfall. The first was a lack of ground clearance, mainly due to the 10″ wheels that had started life on the Mini. The other was that the Moke didn’t offer genuine off-road capabilities due to its front-wheel-drive mechanical layout. In an act of desperation, BMC did produce a four-wheel-drive prototype, but it achieved this feat by bolting an additional engine and transaxle to the rear. It didn’t address the ground clearance problem, and the extra level of complexity saw it receive a thumbs-down from the defence forces. What did remain consistent once civilian production commenced was that every Moke left the factory powered by a BMC A-Series four-cylinder engine. The Cagiva utilized the 998cc version, sending 39hp to the front wheels via a four-speed manual transaxle. The engine power is undeniably modest, but with the Moke a relative featherweight, performance was actually far better than the numbers suggest. The seller confirms that, having spent its life in storage, this classic’s metric odometer shows 169 kilometers. That equates to a mere 105 miles, meaning that it isn’t even broken in. Revival after its hibernation involved replacing every perishable component, flushing the fuel system, and replacing the fluids. The upshot is that this Moke drives as nicely as it would have in 1994, and is a turnkey proposition for its new owner.
The Moke wasn’t the sales success it deserved to be, with only around 50,000 vehicles rolling out of various factories around the globe during its twenty-nine-year production life. As is sometimes the case, revivals have been attempted to ride the retro wave that engulfed the automotive world at the turn of this century. However, sales remained modest because those who remember the original Moke will accept nothing less. This 1994 Cagiva example is as close as you could come to owning a new Moke of this vintage, making me wonder what its future holds. These little gems are enormous fun on sunny days, and that should be this car’s destiny. However, the price and odometer reading suggest that it could spend its days as a museum piece, which would be a shame. Do you agree?
For sale in California with South Dakota plates.
It can be legally register in California.
To me,these are cool rigs,but too pricey nowadays.
The name “Mini Moke” was (is) buried in my mind, but an hour ago before I clicked on this article, I couldn’t have told you what they were or what they looked like. So thanks Adam for the memory-refresher, and the history lesson. Cute and interesting it is, and for this super nice example, not cheap.
I’m with Bob above. Totally forgot about these. But I remembered seeing a review from “Uncle” Tom McCahill on a Mini Moke. I found an image of the magazine cover. I want to say he liked it. ( He sure looks like hes happy behind the wheel). And he was a pretty big guy if my memory serves me right. This is great!!! Thanks for jogging my memory too!!!
If you click on the image you see more of it. You’ll see what looks like snow tires on it. I remember spotting that decades ago and wondering how they would do off road.
I’d like to read the road test of the Ford GT 📖 from that issue 😎
I have that issue! RIP “Unc” McCahill, we’ll not see your like ever again.
First stick shift I ever drove when I was about 14 was a Mini Moke while on vacation, on a back road in the cane fields of Barbados in about 1969. Remember it very well!
No chance of getting this registered legally in California, which is the reason for the out-of-state plates. I have owned several Mokes in the past, and would consider this one if it was legal here in CA. I wonder why someone bought this and never drove it? Lots of fun along the coast – makes every grocery run feel like a tropical holiday!
I remember ‘Mokes’ being very popular in Australia in the 1970’s.
As a passenger it was daunting sitting alongside the fuel tank that was also the ‘crash barrier’ between you and the outside world!
Not sure about Ca legality. But I can walk two blocks away from where I sit this minute and look at a Moke street parked in Costa Mesa. It has Ca plates.
I literally just researched these last week. There’s a new one in my neighborhood. I’ve seen it a few times and got behind it the other day and saw Moke on the mud flaps. Had no idea, had never heard of it. The new ones are electric neighborhood things, glorified golf carts with only a 45 mph top speed and 70 mile range.
The one I’m talking about is definitely older and not electric. There are quite a few electric ones around, but they don’t count really. I don’t know how to post a pic here but I took one. It has rust so from 80’s or earlier I think
You can’t post a pic unless you’re a subscriber. Yes, the electric ones don’t count, (IMO) just sorta copied the body style and put it in a golf cart. But I’d never heard of the vehicle and have seen and even worked on a lot of oddball one off vehicles. I only researched it because I got the name off the mud flaps.
No Moke story would be complete without mentioning “Mr. Mini”, Hrach Chekijian. I bought a Mini Cooper S from him when he worked at Mini of Peabody (MA) in 2007. My purchase was entirely based on the hell ride test drive we went on, after he spotted that I drove onto the lot in a 2000 S4. He was set to prove that a Mini was just as much fun to drive as that S4, and he was right. I ordered one from him that day. Little did I know that he was a BMW certified driving trainer, and, man, did he coax the best out of my driving skills.
I mention him whenever a Moke appears here at BF because he showed me a panoramic picture of a huge Mini meet where he and his Moke appeared at both ends of the photo. He would drive it from one end to the other while the photo was being taken – he was proud of that.
I will never forget this man and am so glad that I happened to meet him by innocently going in to look at a car.
https://chekijian.com/HrachIssue30p24.pdf
I have seen an original 4wd prototype in Invercargill, New Zealand. It apparently is owned by one of the original engineers.
Just a heads up on the 4×4 application. I happened to work as assistant manager at a BMC dealership in Cape Town South Africa and had a friend who had served an engineering apprenticeship at the BMC factory in England and was now a Service representative for BMC in S.A. He called me up one day and asked if I would like a ride in a one of only two Mini Mokes with four wheel drive. We took it in the sand dunes and did some fun things with it. It only had one 998cc engine and as I remember had an additional selector between the seats for selecting two wheel or four wheel drive.