1968 Maltese/British Moke

Originally designed to be a lightweight military vehicle, the lack of clearance and four wheel drive doomed that plan.  There were visions of having it as a parachute-droppable vehicle, with the ability to stack it on top of others. The windscreen is removable to facilitate this.  Between 1964 and 1968 14,518 were produced in the UK as a commercial vehicle. Originally codenamed Buckboard, the name Moke comes from an archaic term for mule, showing its purpose.

This particular car was sold in Malta and spent most of its life there. The 22,000 miles are believed to be original. Shipped to Galveston in the early autumn of 2018 the Moke arrived in a tropical storm. To rescue it from the flooding docks, the current owner drove from Galveston to Dallas to safety through the storm.

Often confused with an early Jeep in America, the size difference can clearly be seen in this picture.

In July 2019, there was the largest recent gathering of Mokes in Colorado with four in Snowmass, at the national classic Mini show.  One of the Mokes was driven from Florida and another from Tennessee. The other Mokes are later versions. Production moved to Australia and then Portugal. Today, the name lives on in an electric version, even less powerful than the 60s 37 horsepower generated from an 848 cc engine

As a Maltese car, this was probably the first time the Moke had been driven in the snow.

The current owner believes it should be driven as its creator intended with off-road excursions a must.