The Moke is returning in 2014
The iconic Australian beach buggy Moke is making a return in 2014 with a modern take.
The new ‘Classic Moke’ is the result of a collaboration between the Melbourne-based Moke International, the Chinese car maker Chery Motors and subsidiary Sicar Engineering; the nameplate will be returning to the market fifty years after the introduction of the original Mini-based beach buggy.
The Classic Moke will be launching at Bindi Beach next month before going on sale in early 2014 and will cost around $22,990 before on-road costs, thus making it around the same price as a conventional small hatchback.
The Moke will be powered by a Chery-sourced 50kW/93Nm 1.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine, which can then be teamed with either a manual or automatic transmission.
Just like the original model, the Classic Moke will be doorless and roofless, and drivers will also have to make do without ABS, electronic stability control and airbags, but the local distributor did say that it has been engineered to ‘comply with modern performance and safety standards’.
The platform has nothing in common with the old model but the body is retro styled but it’s longer and wider than its predecessor, offering standard seating for two and the option of two additional passenger seats in the rear with three-point seatbelts.
Moke International is also planning to launch a pure-electric version which will be dubbed ‘eMoke’, sometime after the rollout of the conventional petrol-powered variant. According to the distributor the eMoke will have a top speed of 50km/h and a range of 120km.
The production of the original Moke started in England in 1964 and then the Morris Mini Moke and Leyland Moke were build in Australia between 1966 and 1981. Then the manufacturing was transferred to Portugal and continued up till 1993 when it came to a close after 29 years and production of more than 50,000 models.
