Mini Moke cultcars on parade

Rebecca Lollback

17Jun08

The Mini Mokes gathered on Anzac Hill. Picture: Justin Brierty

A MINI ``Moke-a-Thon'' rolled into Alice Springs at the weekend, with about 15 of the little cars parading through town.

Members of the Moke Owners Association were on the final leg of a three-week, 5000km journey through Central Australia.

It involved moke owners from NSW, South Australia, Victoria and Queensland.

The drivers arrived in Alice Springs on the Oodnadatta Track and spent nine days in the area before heading south on the Stuart Highway.

Association president Glenn Golds said it was a unique way to see the Outback.

He said they had been planning their Alice Springs adventure for more than a year.

The moke owners also spent time at Uluru and Kings Canyon before going home.

The tiny cars are starting to become a collectors' item, and have been described as a ``classic cult car''.

Alice Springs moke owner Greg Mair said people loved the cars because they had ``a lot of character''.

He said: ``Some people love V8s. But these cars are all about their character  they're not renowned for going very fast.

``We also love them because they're soft top convertibles that don't cost a fortune.''

The mini mokes which were first designed by Englishman Sir Alec Issigonis are powered by a four-cylinder, 1000cc `A' series Mini engine.

Its top speed is about 130km/h.

The first production of the mokes was in 1964, with production transferred to Australia in 1966.

The last one was made in 1993.

Some experimental 4WD mokes were also built  these had two engines and two transmissions.