Holiday Plans

Jason Adams hadn’t forgotten the time he and his wife, Lorraine, drove around Crete in a Moke over 20 years ago. In 2014 he had the chance to buy his own.

- Rob Hawkins

You can’t beat open-top motoring on a warm and sunny day, especially while on holiday in a country where rainfall is rare. Jason Adams has fond memories of the time he drove a Moke on the Mediterranean island of Crete, in the mid1990s. It strengthened his determination to have a Moke of his own one day. However, he lives in one of the wettest areas of the UK, in Pembrokeshire, south Wales, so he has to make the most of any opportunities to drive his Moke. He’s often been caught out and recalls one occasion where a summer downpour saw him dripping wet at the traffic lights, trying to keep a smile on his face.

His father and uncles owned a Mini Pick-up, Mini Minor and two 1968 Cooper S models, but he never owned a Mini himself before the Moke. The holiday to Crete fired up an interest but family commitments meant the opportunity to embark on a Moke project did not arise until late 2014, when he spotted one for sale on eBay. It was over 200 miles away in Bolton, Lancashire but, with a price tag of £5,750 and a seemingly honest description from the seller, he agreed to buy it and set off with a trailer. This Moke had originally been manufactured in Australia in 1979 but imported to the UK in 2006. Photos from this time show the speedo displayed 76,614 kilometres but, when Jason bought it, it had a different mph speedo that had clocked up almost 20,000 miles.

“The Moke had been kept outside and hence some surface rusting was visible with minor scratches and a ding to the rear nearside wing. The canopy was largely in good condition but not watertight as inspection inside showed signs of leakage onto the tub floor. It was how I expected it from the vendor’s description.”