The Mini Moke.  Or, if you prefer, the Austin Moke, the Morris Moke, the Austin Rover Moke, British Leyland Moke, or even just the "Mule".  Whether it was made in England, Australia, or Portugal, with a total of somewhere around 51,000 produced from 1964 through 1993, this was then and still remains today the most prolific Cool Beach Car!  Mokes are still found by the dozens in rental fleets throughout the Caribbean, on the roadways of literally dozens of countries, and they have even been immortalized in a song by Jimmy Buffett, "Autour Du Rocher"!

_{(Above: an example of a 1986 Austin Rover Moke built in Portugal - Photo Credit: Hayes Harris)}

     Designed by Sir Alec Issigonis (one of England's foremost automobile designers and the creator of the original Mini) for the British military in 1959, it underwent several model changes over the five years that BMC/Leyland unsuccessfully tried to win what should have been a lucrative contract.  The British Army wanted a lightweight, durable and air transportable -36 had to fit in a Beverly transport- on and off road vehicle that could fit 4 troops and gear, and it had to be affordable. At just under 900 lbs. the tough little monoque bodied Moke seemed to fit the bill. However, in 1963 the army gave the Moke the final "thumbs down" in part because of what they deemed to be inadequate ground clearance under the engine.

_{(Above is a late 1967 Austin Mini Moke.  Note the narrow front and open rear wheelwells.  Photo credit: Don Rich)} 

     Not willing to give up on the Moke and five years of development costs that even included a twin engine two seater model dubbed the "Twinie", BMC moved forward with plans for a civilian Moke, which was well recieved by an adoring public!  From 1964 through 1968, BMC would produce around 10,000 Mokes in their Longbridge factory in Birmingham, England.  Another factory in Sydney, Australia had begun producing Mokes in 1966, and they took over sole production of the Moke in 1968 when rising taxes made Moke production in England no longer profitable.  In 1968 they changed wheel sizes from 10" to 13" adding a rear flare to accomodate the larger tires.  Unlike their English counterparts, the Australian armed forces approved the Moke, and many of the higer ground clearance models went into the service of their producing country!

 _{(Above: a 1975 Leyland Australian Moke.  Note the larger wheels, widened front and rear wheelwells and the extended rear flare.  Photo credit: Don Rich)}

     In 1983 economics again forced an expatriation of the Moke, as production left Australia for Portugal.  Produced under the British Leyland/Austin Rover brand until it was sold to Cagiva (Husquevarna) in 1991.  Production finally ceased in 1993.  But that isn't the end of the Moke story.  With BMW's new Mini division a success, the head of Mini has announced his determination to bring back the Moke model.  Several models have been rejected as being too far from the original including this one below:

So hopefully they will stay more true to the original design, and once again new production Mokes will take to the streets.  Maybe one more Cool Beach Car is about to be launched.  Like yet another Jimmy Buffett song says: "Only time will tell..."