I'm a Moke owner. In fact it is my favourite vehicle and I hope to use it for an overland journey someday.

I always describe a Moke as the offspring of an illicit affair between a Mini and a Land Rover.

The quality of real Mokes was never that flash and they rust like hell. So I was excited by the prospect of new shells being available.

Unfortunately these Chinese copies (we call them Chokes) are fairly poor quality. Many of the bolt-on parts fit poorly and some of the early bodies had a twist in them. The paint coverage is poor in hidden areas (just like a real one was!!) Most of the bits you would expect to interchange with a genuine Moke, such as the windscreen frame or fuel tank, don't interchange at all. They have less strength in the floors and sills than a genuine Moke due to the deletion of various strengthening ribs and box sections. Yet somehow they weigh 150-200kg more due to use of heavier steel in other places. That might not sound much, but given a stock Moke is around 600kg it amounts to a difference of around 33%.

In this country at least, Chokes don't meet the registration laws, so they can only be registered illegally with an identity swap. (ie: Take a chassis number from a dead Moke and stamp it on a new Chinese body) The authorities have figured this out now, so a couple were rejected for registration already. I believe the situation is similar in the UK, but in the US they can now be legally registered as a kit car.

Anyway, back to Defenders.

I've always admired the old Defender and have often considered owning one. But the new one leaves me completely cold.

Unfortunately the nanny-state world we live in demands Airbags, ABS, ever-increasing emissions controls and crumple zones. All stuff that is very hard to engineer into an older design. As the market for that design dwindles the manufactures stop investing in it and eventually another great car is consigned to history.

Cheers,

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May 2015 - Canberra to Townsville via the Birdsville Track in a 1969 Mini Van.
http://www.facebook.com/TeamBMCAdventures