In 1967 the Suez Crisis sent fuel prices soaring, and even though most vehicles in England were of modest size it was felt more could be done to conserve resources. Sir Leonard Lord issued his top engineer, Alec Issigonis, a challenge to design a small fuel-efficient car capable of carrying four adults. We all know the result, the legendary Mini. What is less well known however, is the result of the previous work Issigonis had done along the same theme.

One of only two Nuffield Guppys ever made, this is the first prototype for the Austin Champ made in 1947.

In the early 1940s the British government was looking for a lightweight amphibious vehicle which could be parachuted into the battle area. Issigonis, while working for William Morris, designed the Nuffield Guppy. It was a small vehicle with balloon tyres capable of carrying one soldier

	Austin Ant aka Austin ADO19 which was a prototype replacement for the Mini Moke. It never got past the prototype stage, however.
	A white Moke in the movie Live and Let Die..

with equipment. The Guppy showed promise but the war in Europe ended before it could be put into service. Subsequent work by Issigonis produced two more vehicles in which the family lineage could also clearly be seen, the Austin Ant and the Mini Moke. Both were hopeful of securing contracts from the military sector but mindful of their potential in the civilian market. The Ant was cancelled before full scale production could begin. This was during the period when BMC became part of British Leyland, and the Ant was too close of competition for the Land Rover.

The Mini Moke is a small, front-wheel-drive utility and recreational convertible, manufactured and marketed originally by British Motor Corporation (BMC), and subsequently marketed under the Austin, Morris and Leyland brands.

The Mini Moke was also originally targeted as a lightweight military vehicle, but the small wheels and low ground clearance and made it unsuitable for off road use. Shifting to the backup plan the design was offered to the civilian world as a lightweight, easily maintained, recreational and utility vehicle. Success was all but assured when Brigitte Bardot was photographed driving one. James Bond showed up in a white Moke in the movie Live and Let Die. Popularity followed and more than 14,500 Mini Mokes were produced at BMC’s Longbridge plant between 1964 and 1968. Another 26,000 were manufactured in Australia between 1966 and 1981, followed by the final 10,000 in Portugal from 1980 to 1993.

Long known as the designer of Britain’s most successful car, Alec Issigonis was thus quite successful with several other innovative small vehicles. In recognition of his various achievements Issigonis was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1964 and knighted by Queen Elizabeth in 1969. As for the name of his enduring creation the Mini Moke? Moke is old British slang for a donkey!



Editor Note: Article originally published in British Boots and Bonnets newsletter October 2021 by Facia Nearside