1978 Mini Moke Californian

The Moke was essentially a stripped down, utilitarian version of the Mini and the original design brief (obviously with military application in mind) called for a car light enough to be dropped by parachute and the ability to cover difficult terrain. Designed by Sir Alec Issigonis, father of the Mini, the Moke entered production for the civilian market in 1964, with the vast majority of British production earmarked for export. Moke production in Australia lasted from 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 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 with an air pump. British Leyland's Australian arm came up with a special edition known as the Californian in September 1977 with denim seat covers on more comfortable seats, different wheels and a bull-bar included in the $3,599 asking price. The Moke is pretty durable and finding a car free from the dreaded rust is the biggest problem, with the 998cc engine and drivetrain relatively unbreakable. The Moke is the ideal runabout for the beaches, being cheap to run, heaps of fun to drive and with lots of room for boards and gear in the back.