Everybody wants to save the earth, nobody wants to help mom do the dishes.  --P.J. O'Rourke

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Austin Mini Moke - "Moking is Not a Health Hazard"

Designed alongside the Iconic Mini by Sir Alec Issigonis, the Moke was laughably intended as a military vehicle in the same vein as the American Jeep and Land Rover. How Sir Alec and BMC thought the underpowered Moke, with it's low ground clearance and clown car wheels, would make a good military vehicle is beyond me. Needless to say, the British Army wasn't buying this notion either (though the Navy showed some interest in using the Moke on aircraft carriers). A flop in uniform, the irrepressibly goofy Moke was a natural entertainer and enjoyed considerable success in films and television. The Moke was the henchman's vehicle of choice in Bond movies and the TV show "The Prisoner". The villains were apparently on to something as the Moke was also popular as a resort shuttle when fitted with the obligatory striped canvas roof.
Bonus Trivia:  The name Moke is a slang for Donkey.



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