1978 Mini Moke Californian
Information and lessons-learned on the restoration, maintenance, and history of my 1978, Mini Moke Californian
My Moke is a 1978 Leyland Mini Moke Californian. This Moke was purchased in the ACT in January of 1998. It was powered by a 998cc A-series motor which has since been replaced with a 1275cc A+ series unit. It was a daily driver until around 2002 before a full restoration commenced in 2004. The restoration (phase 1) was completed in Dec 2008. The images on this site have been taken over the period of ownership. Some of the original shots below date back to 1998 in its original condition.
In October 2016, my Moke was one of 27 ‘PANORAMA’ Mokes which brought together a select group of handpicked Mini Mokes alongside their ‘tin top’ cousins the ‘Classic Minis’ who met at Bathurst in a long overdue organised ‘RALLY’ focused on both the Mini and the Mokes in all of their endeavours. Together, the cars celebrated part of Australian Motoring history with their motorsport beginnings stemming from the UK with the Australian highlight being the 1966 Gallaher 500 mile race at Mount Panorama Bathurst New South Wales. The annual 500mile/1000klm endurance race based at Mount Panorama gave these cars the legendary status they continue with today. Alongside the Minis, the Mini Moke also celebrated milestone of 50 years since production in Australia and participated in a dedicated 4 day event with everyone arriving on cue to the 2016 Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000.
With trackside displays, functions and a very special track parade in front of a National Audience my Moke earned its 4 days of fame and is now known as one of only 27 'Mt Panorama Mokes'. All 27 Mokes featured proudly on track as the Official Driver Parade Vehicles during the Pre –Race Festivities on Race day - each Moke with its own V8 Supercar driver allocations (David Reynolds and Craig Baird in my case). Each Moke was provided with a Mini Moke Bathurst Decal, and a windscreen banner that denoted the significance of the event.
