1980 Moke: Reader ride

Date: 21.01.2015

Michel Weinel's 1980 Moke

Michel Weinel's 1980 Moke

Michel Weinel's 1980 Moke

Michel Weinel's 1980 Moke

Michel Weinel's 1980 Moke...

Michel Weinel's 1980 Moke

My Moke originally belonged to my father-in-law. We used to live up in the Riverland and I always remember him driving this Moke which had the optional bolt-on ute attachment and a half-fibreglass canopy back then. He sold it to my brother for $400 and I bought it off him for the cost of a headlight switch – it cost me $20! He wanted it to stay in the family. They originally came out of the UK but this model was made under licence by Leyland in
Sydney.

I’d always wanted one and even though it was a farm hack, my father-in-law always garaged it. Still, it’s got a galvanised body, which is quite rare, so there’s no rust in it. After I got it from my brother it sat around for about five years then I thought I’d give it a little reno: stop it blowing smoke and fix the gearbox, but it turned into a full four-year restoration; a Tuesday night thing. I did everything from bending all-new brake lines down to every part of the motor and gearbox. I’ve spent about $14,000 on it. The running gear is Mini and mine has the original 998cc engine and it’s stock standard with only about 35hp, but it’s a very light car.

They’re good to drive at sunset and sunrise but any other time you cook so I don’t drive it a lot. I’m in the South Australian Moke Club and I take it to All-Brit days and on runs. They were marketed as a fun car and it is fun car to drive but there are fewer and fewer of them now and when you do find them, they are mostly rusted away. People always come up and tell me their Moke stories. Everyone has a Moke story.

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