Embedded Files
This 1965 Morris Mini Moke [GJB 121C] has been owned by Simon's father Richard Crumbleholme since February 1968.
This section has been written by Richard Crumbleholme, the main body of the article starts on this page with links to the following :
First rebuild completed 1995; Second rebuild completed 2017; Moke Club articles featuring GJB 121C
How it all started : My father Dick had a Willys jeep during WW2 and a Bristol garage owner friend of his told him about a jeep like "Mini Moke" that had just come into a nearby garage. My father was interested and so we set off in my mini van to view the Moke in Bristol on Saturday 3rd February 1968.
It was duly bought and I recall a very cold trip home as some of the side screens fasteners were missing. The car was hand painted in a bright tangerine colour with an additional spare wheel on the bonnet. It had a wood rimmed steering wheel and a timber rear bench seat made by a previous owner.
Above : A photo of a 17 year old Richard with his Mini van (c. late 1967). He was 17 in August 1967 and passed his test in October 1967. No difficult theory tests then - just a few questions with less cars all moving much slower, fewer traffic lights and no complex traffic roundabouts !
Left : The original purchase invoice of 3rd February 1968. The Moke GJB 121C was bought for £300.00 with part exchange of a "B" registered Mini Van (AJT 367B - above) valued at £200.00 with the balance paid in cash of £100.00.
The first year's road tax was £17 10s 0d. Mileage 15,300
My father was very generous in buying this car for me - I am sure that he would smile if he knew that I would still have the car in my 70's - after 50+ years.
Moke History :
Left : A 1964 sales leaflet for the Morris Mini Moke. Austin Mini Mokes were also built, the only difference being the badge - it depended on which dealer you purchased the car from.
Originally conceived and designed by Alec Issigonis (designer of the Mini), he was tasked with creating a small vehicle for the military in the 1950's. He had the groundbreaking idea of mounting the engine with integral gearbox transversely and using two sub frames bolted to a light body shell. Low ground clearance was the major reason why its military application was limited although it was used on air craft carriers, the police and fire service and by construction companies.
The Moke was first put on the open market in late 1964. A new Moke was very basic as it came with no side screens, a driver's seat only and cost £335.00 It came in only one colour : spruce green. A passenger seat cost £8 9s and the two rear seats £16 8s. A set of four side screens cost £30. A standard Mini saloon at the time cost £497.
By the end of 1964, (mine was built in Nov 1964) a total of 965 Mokes had been built (527 Austins & 438 Morrises). So my Moke is a relatively early one. About 50% of these had been exported.
Film crews started to use it to mount film cameras and various pop groups also took to the unusual car. It became a "trendy car" of the late swinging 1960's with Patrick McGoohan's cult TV series "The Prisoner" giving the car great coverage as the taxi in "The Village" (Portmeirion). James Bond films used Mokes as well.
By 1967, the HM Government re-classified the Moke as a private vehicle and this added purchase tax (an additional £78 9s 10d). This effectively made it not viable to make in the UK for BMC (British Motor Corporation) and production was moved solely to Australia (production there had started in 1966), There were 14,518 "English" Mokes produced in the UK with about 90% exported abroad - 1467 having been purchased in the UK.
The English Moke was made initially but soon an "Australian" Moke was produced with a larger engine (998 - 1098cc) and 13" wheels in place of 10". There were various modifications with the Californian model produced from 1971. Australian Mokes were produced until 1982 with about 26,000 having been made. They were used by their postal service and various pick up versions were produced. Production was finally moved to Portugal in 1983 and these Mokes were made by British Leyland there until 1989 (about 10,000 made).
Cagiva (an Italian company) bought the whole operation in 1991 and maintained production in Portugal until 1993. All parts etc were moved to Italy and were not accessed until the Moke Club managed to sell off these in the Big Clear out of 2003.
Overall about 50,000 Mokes (of all types) were produced.
A Moke was produced in China (I hired one in the Seychelles in 2018 - see below) with a Nissan engine - the bodyshell was different in a few ways and it was poorly made. I understand that it is still being made in petrol and electric versions. In 2021, an electric Moke is being made in the UK - limited production to avoid strict build standards and sold in Poole, Dorset - a range of about 90 miles, top speed about 50mph and retails just under £30,000.
An internet site listing numbers of classic cars on the DVLA database in the UK in 2022 has 114 No Mokes with road tax and a further 62 No with SORN (off road notices). This would include all types of Moke. The Moke Club's magazine in 2023 noted that their register had 262 Mokes worldwide and a club membership of 560. The Mini Moke Club was started by Paul Beard in 1983 in the UK and has just celebrated it's 40th Birthday. At September 2023, the membership is UK 69%; EU 11%;; Australasia 9%; N.America 7% and rest of world 4%.
English Moke in "The Prisoner " TV series (1966) Vertical windscreen for filming & purpose made seats & hood. (4 made)
Australian Moke (1966 - 1982)
Portuguese Moke (1983 - 1989)
Cagiva Moke (1991-1993)
Chinese Moke that we hired in Seychelles in 2018 - the front looks terrible in my opinion.
The present day electric Moke being made in the UK. (2021 -
The English original is a far better looking car !
My Morris Mini Moke [GJB 121C] : Now 60 years old !
Built on 4th November 1964 for the home market at the British Motor Company (BMC) 's car plant at Longbridge, Birmingham and dispatched to Morris Garages Ltd, Oxford on 12th November 1964 (inv No 89457). Original colour : Spruce Green (only colour available); The Heritage certificate below says that the Moke was dispatched from the factory with two front and rear seats (driver's seat only was standard). When I bought the car in 1968, the factory fitted rear seats had been removed and a home made double plywood seat fitted instead. No English Mokes were supplied with a heater ! However, a heater had been installed when I bought it in 1968.
1st registered 19th October 1965; Chassis No : MABI 653707. Commission No : M15B000354L ; Body No 354; Mk 1 Moke ("buckboard" : 1963-1967). Petrol : 4 cylinder in line with overhead valves - "A" series with capacity of 848cc transverse mounted with integral 4 speed gearbox (no synchromesh on first gear). Front wheel drive with 10" wheels. Dimensions : wheelbase 80" (2.03m); Length 120" (3.05m); Width 51.5" (1.36m); Height 56' (1.42m); Dry weight : 10.5 cwt ( 534kg).
Below : The English Mini Moke - a cutaway sketch showing the basic construction with front & rear sub frames.
( Source : a superb drawing from "Mini Moke - small car, big fun" by John Christopher (published 2013)
Above : Original Registration document
Left : BMIHT factory record.
Below : Commission plate & Chassis/engine plate
My Early Photographs : The photographs below all date from 1968 / 1969 when I was 17 / 18 years old. I had the Moke in my last year at Weymouth Grammar School when taking "A" levels and then went to college in London using the Moke to travel there and back on a regular basis. My yellow oilskin was my standard wear in the Moke. I recall that I also had a very good and warm German submarine Officer's jacket which I bought in Moto Sails (military surplus) in Weymouth. I even had a pair of WW2 pilot's heated gloves that could plug into 12v system. Wish I still had them !
Above : Moke on road outside 23 Greenhill, Weymouth (c.1968)
Above : Another shot entering the drive of 23 Greenhill, Weymouth (c.1968)
Above : On nerby Lodmoor carpark with hood & rear screens. (c.1968)
Left : At the top of drive at Greenhill
Above : On Bowleaze Coveway, Overcombe, Weymouth
All photos c.1968 (RC)
On my friend John Coxon's drive in Wyke Regis, Weymouth
1st timber surfboard rack (roped on)
Later tubular pipe board rack bolted on.
Above : Modified dashboard with radio ! It had the wood rimmed steering wheel when I bought it. I fitted the two front bucket seats in July 1969 prior to my trip to Europe.
Above : Hood down at Greenhill (c.1968)
Note rear double seat.
Above : Rather poor shot of the Moke outside my flat in Ealing, London. (c1969)
Above : My parents with Dad's Hillman Minx estate, Mum's Hillman Imp (she had this from new) and the Moke - taken on Lodmoor carpark (c1968)
History - Previous Owners (from original log book & Heritage cert)
Dispatched from Longbridge factory in Birmingham to Morris Garages Ltd, Oxford on 12th November 1964 (inv No 89457).
19th October 1965 - First registered by Costers Garage Ltd of Speen near Newbury, Berkshire. First road tax was £17 10s 0d. Colour : Green.
11th December 1965 - First owner Mr A A J Baker of Crossways Hoe, Denham, Newbury
23rd November 1966 - Kingsway Motors, 189 Two Mile Hill, Bristol
6th February 1967 - Second owner Mr Raymond J Marsh, 17 Yew Tree Drive, Kingswood, Bristol
Having written to Mr Marsh, he kindly wrote back (see below) and amongst other things said that he sold the Moke in September 1967 with a mileage of approx 12,000 miles. It was presumably part exchanged or bought by Edward Wallace of Bristol (see invoice above) a car dealer / garage owner who appears to have run the car on trade plates having clocked up another 3000 miles (Sept 1967 - Feb 1968)
7th February 1968 - Third owner Richard Crumbleholme, 23 Greenhill, Weymouth, Dorset. Mileage 15,300
Above : Letter from second owner - there is something amiss with his 36 hr non stop trip as this would have meant travelling at an average speed of 76.91mph ! It is hard to average 40mph in the Moke - the best time that I did (late at night) from Weymouth to London about 120 miles was in 2hrs 44mins. 120/2.75= 43.63mph. The only motorway then was the M4 - the last bit into London.
Summary of maintenance, MOT's and mileages (1968-1977)
3/2/1968 - Purchased in Bristol : Mileage 15300
12/3/1968 - First Service : mileage 15414
17/6/68 - 2 No 520x10 Dunlop Weathermaster tyres supplied & fitted £11. 15s. 0d; (over £200 each now !) 1 No Crompton 6LM7R Battery : £8 7s 0d. (Guy Toone Ltd - Weymouth
11/6/1969 - Service : mileage 26478
15/7/1969 - Runamoke Ltd 73-77 Battersea Church Rd London SW11 - 2 No Moke bucket seats : £25. 4s. 0d. (still in the car !)
2/8/1969 - 3000 service : mileage 30128
4/10/1969. Mileage 35612. MOT test £1 5s 0d (Parkway Garage Dorchester)
18/12/1969. - Service : mileage 39185
10/10/1970 - MOT (Guy Toone) : mileage 49179
15/10/1971 - MOT : mileage 60983
25/11/1971 - Bells Garages Ltd, Richmond Surrey - remedy of electrical fault on the ignition switch, loose wire on coil and replace distributor wire and connector. For the sum of £5.62 (money now metric!). I had met a lovely girl at a party that weekend and had to stay in London for a few days due to the Moke refusing to start ! Did the Moke do this on purpose ! The girl has been my wife for over 50 years now.
12/10/1972 - MOT : mileage 71165
25/6/1973 - Jubilee Garage (Weymouth) Short Engine (£35) with new clutch valves, filters plugs oil etc all fitted £115.95
17/9/1973 - MOT : mileage 78835
29/8/1974 - Welded in plates to floor
1/10/1975 - MOT : mileage 97685
1/3/1976 - New rear sub frame (exists 2023)
29/9/1976 - MOT : mileage 103151
8/10/1977 - Last bill from Gerry's Autos preparing for MOT - MOT passed on 28/10/1977 Mileage 107347.
28/10/1977 - Taken off the road and stored in my grandmother's garage in Brunel Drive, Preston, Weymouth Mileage 107351
Below : Mileage Graph 1965 - 1977. (Average annual mileage 8945)
Above : Easter 1974 - My brother Bill
Long Distance Trips before taken off road in 1977.
Long Distance Trips before taken off road in 1977.
June 1968 - Trip around Southern Ireland with my school friend Keith Wright during the summer of 1968. During the previous summer, we toured Wales on our Lambretta scooters with a very small tent. We bought a bigger tent for this trip. Sadly, I do not have any records or photos of the trip but the insurance documents and green card that I do have are dated to cover 24th June to 24th July 1968 so we obviously went after having finished our "A" levels. We drove to Fishguard to catch the ferry to Rosslare near Cork in Southern Ireland. I can remember some rather over zealous customs officers taking everything out of the Moke including the side panniers and then leaving us to repack it all. We had removed the rear seat and had an orange canvas sheet which secured our tent and belongings.
My mum had kept several postcards that I had sent home - these were sent quite frequently unlike most teenagers ! . Tuesday 25th June : (310 miles) arrived at Waterford and in addition to our adventures with the Customs had to ditch all our food due to Foot & Mouth restrictions. Some trouble with fan hitting cowling. Wednesday 26th June : (402 miles) engine mounting found broken and paid £5 5s 9d to get it fixed. Thursday 27th June (550 miles) - visited the Blarney Stone with heavy rain ! Moke running well. Friday 28th June (613 miles) - At Killarney in the west - car running well. Sunday 30th June (873 miles) - Ran out of fuel at extreme western point - calculated that moke was doing 48-49 mpg. Tuesday 2nd July (1235 miles) - Near Limerick all well apart very some very rain. Saturday 6th July (1734 miles) In Galway and then to Dublin to cross to Holyhead on Tuesday. Monday 8th July - (2082 miles) Arrived in Dublin after 250mile drive. Tuesday 9th July - crossed to Wales and travelled to Liverpool and stayed with a relative of Keith's until we travelled down to London to a cousins wedding. on 11th July.
We travelled around Southern Ireland in a clockwise direction across the south coast and then up the beautiful west coast. We ran out of petrol on the most westerly tip (the Dingle peninsula I think) - I had to hitch a lift to the nearest filling station. Southern Ireland in those days was quite primitive with small roads and villages. I can remember real Guinness which was levelled off with a wooden spatula prior to you being allowed to drink it. We ate a lot of soda bread and I can remember the locals being very friendly and interested in the Moke. We travelled back via Dublin to Holyhead.
September 1969 - Trip to Switzerland - again with my friend Keith Wright during the September 1969. (aged 19). Having suffered with the standard Moke seats during our Southern Ireland trip, I purchased two Moke bucket seats from Runamoke Ltd (Ron Smith) when he was in Battersea, London - my college in London was quite close and I often called there for bits and pieces. These seats (they are still in the car) made the trip far more comfortable and as they could also be removed quite easily, we could sleep in the car if necessary. Sadly again, I have no photo records of the trip and having taken a film on an 8mm cine camera do not have this either. However, I do have some postcards that I had sent my parents during the trip and that my late mother luckily had kept. I have managed to largely reconstruct the trip from these.
We set off from home on 4th September 1969. Having reached Dover, it was lucky that we had plenty of time as Keith had forgotten his passport and we had to drive back to Weymouth to get it before boarding the cross channel ferry on Friday 5th. Once off the ferry in Ostend, we got to Leige by nighfall. We drove into Germany and got on the autobahn and travelled south via Cologne, Frankfurt & Strasbourg.
Looking at the map now, I wonder why we went this rather long way around - it would have been far more direct to go via the Luxembourg area (even this route would have been some 520 miles) The autobahns were made of large concrete panels and I remember the constant tyre noise going over the joints. Without any speed limits, it was quite hairy being overtaken by fast cars and huge trucks. I recall the Rhine river being near the autobahn most of the way.
We entered Switzerland via Basel on Saturday 6th and then went down to Lake Geneva staying at the east end at Montreux on Sunday 7th. We then travelled north towards Interlaken and stayed just to the south at Wildersill from Monday 8th for a few days. We were climbing the long pass to get to Interlaken and having reached the top of the summit, it started to rain. I turned the wiper on and the engine promptly stopped ! We managed to drive down around the numerous bends to get down into the valley below.
Fortunately for us, we soon came across a garage in Wildersill and although the owner spoke no English, he soon found that the voltage regulator and dynamo had failed resulting in a flat battery. He declared "I have one" and soon returned from his store with a new regulator which he fitted in a matter of minutes. He cleaned up the dynamo and recharged the battery at a cost of £10 and we were on the road again in a matter of hours. Whilst in this Interlaken area, where there were several BMC garages, we also had a new front OS wheel bearing fitted (for £7) as it had become noisy.
On Saturday 13th, from Interlaken we travelled up to Lucerne and then on to Basle. We travelled back the same way up the Rhine valley although we went further north into Holland visiting Amsterdam and Rotterdam for a few days before travelling down to the ferry at Ostend. We boarded the ferry on Wednesday 17th and got back to Dorset later that day.
From my service records - the Moke had a service on 2nd August at 30,128 miles and then another one on 4th October at 35,612 miles. having done 5484 miles.
Trip to Biarritz, France (Bill Crumbleholme - my brother)
Details awaited
First Rebuild - Completed 1995. - please use this link
Long Distance Trips after 1st rebuild (1995)
Long Distance Trips after 1st rebuild (1995)
Trip to Blackpool - July 1995 : This was the first long trip undertaken after the first rebuild completed in April 1995. I was accompanied by my son Simon and brother Bill to the Mini Moke National Meeting.
We drove up to Blackpool for the event and then toured the Forest of Bowland area where the Crumbleholme family originate. A round trip of 722 miles.
We even got a mention in the local press ! (see below)
Right : On Blackpool seafront
(Simon / Richard / Bill)
15th September 1995 - 1st Moke Club Welsh Weekend
Started 15/9/1995 and after 10.5hrs and 274miles arrived Tal y bont north Wales . Overall trip 712 miles average MPG : 45.6.
19th September 1996 - Moke Club Welsh Weekend
Overall trip 762 miles
19th September 1997 - Moke Club Welsh Weekend
Visited Portmeiron village (took Moke into it). Overall trip 688 miles
14th September 1998 - Moke Club Welsh Weekend
Overall trip 648 miles
Trip to French Alps (Simon Crumbleholme - my son)
Details awaited
Below : c 2009/2010 The Moke was always popular with my grand children !
Above : On the way to Wales with Snowdon in background
Summary of trips, maintenance, MOT's and mileages since 2nd rebuild (2017 - to date)
19/04/2017 - First MOT after rebuild mileage 127147
9/10/2017 - Cylinder head gasket faulty replaced
9/4/2018 - MOT (Bartletts) mileage 128419
29/9/2018 - Oil change mileage mileage 129590
9/4/2019 - MOT (Bartletts) mileage 129836
August 2020 - made lockable hinged cover to "boot" behind rear seats. Ex military aerial base on rear bumper fitted June 2023.
December 2022 - fitted new electronic inners to my 1970's rev counter.
Calibrated for + earth & again in June 2023 for - earth.
2020 March-June - Covid lockdown ! I made a detachable frame for the side screens and modified them to fit the "new" hood. This prevents damage to body/paint.
August 2020 - Made lockable hinged rear cover to boot behind rear seats (see photo above)
4/9/2020 - Welsh Trip Voltage regulator fault - auto electrician adjusted & fitted new battery. Total trip 881 miles avearge 44 mpg
2021 - May - Replaced clutch and oil seals Mileage 131702
6/7/2021 - MOT (Bartletts) mileage 131779
Sept 2021 - Welsh Trip Overall mileage : 907 average 43.68mpg
Here's a link to great video which features quite a bit of my Moke GJB 121C (I was in front of the camera guy a lot)
2021 Welsh Weekend : https://drive.google.com/file/d/17IP4qR3TPVnbQScI82zsPIs88TNOu-Yd/view?t=29s
16/9/2021 - Fitted additional n/s engine stabiliser - this was another great improvement.
2022 - 5th July /2022 - MOT (Bartletts) mileage 133389
Sept 2022 - Welsh trip overall mileage 844
December 2022 - New temp gauge and new internal circuit to rev counter.
2023 - March : Fitted no shim balljoints (Bottletop Racing - Japanese) to front wheels - stiff until about 1500 miles after fitting. Got a new set due to this but not fitted (spares!)
March 2023 : Fitted adjustable Hi-Lo suspension struts to front suspension. Adjusted to 32mm o/a which gave 9.5" ground clearance under front panel.
April 2023 : Removed cylinder head and corroded bypass hose stub. Renewed with SS stub and silicone hose. New antifreeze.
May 2023 - Trip to Lutterworth (nr Leicester) for the Moke Club 40th Birthday Party. Broke down on way home ! (fuel pump failed - Simon got me back)
June 2023 - New fuel pump, new battery/alternator and converted to negative earth. Reasonably straighforward and a great improvement
June 2023 - Fitted ex British Army Military Land Rover Radio base antenna support (Thales No 31 mk 6 plus fibreglass 2 part antenna) from a Moke member Robin W at Lutterworth.
Sept 2023 - MOT (Bartletts) mileage 35088 no issues.
Oct 2023 - Replaced front shock absorber rubber bushes.
May 2023 - Moke Club 40th Anniversary near Lutterworth (broke down on way home - fuel pump) Simon trailered me home ! However, the Moke was the "furthest travelled" and we won a mug !
I had a flight in a glider - winched launch.
Above - Sept 2023 - Welsh Trip (mid Wales) overall mileage 715.
Right : Some of the photos taken for assured value (Adrian Flux) April 2024
2024 - July : New plugs & leads, oil change plus filter, new points.
August 2024 - MOT (no advisories)
September 2024 - Welsh Weekend (Snowdonia). Total 811 miles
October 2024 - Heater matrix leak. Replaced matrix renewed antifreeze.
2025 - January to May : Modified front side screens with an additional vertical zip near the windscreen / side lights. This allows easier access and also permits the central part between the existing and new zips to be rolled up.
April -May 2025 : All brake shoes, springs, flexible hoses and wheel cylinders renewed along with brake / clutch fluid. Wheels resprayed black and swapped around to even tyre wear.
July 2025 - Replaced rear wheel bearings and adjusted clutch stop. Replaced steering rack gaiters & re-tracked after.
August 2025 - MOT (no advisories) Bartletts .(37428mls) [1178 mls since 2024 MOT]
August 2025 - Inserted packing piece to rear of o/s rear subframe to prevent subframe rubbing against rear floor. N/S okay. Inserted neoprene rubber strips to prevent stones getting between front of subframe and body - Bartletts removed a stone during MOT that had been causing a very annoying noise !
29th August 2025: Tightened fan belt and checked points. Tested side screens with new front zips. Had to resite the turn buttons on the front sections.**
4th - 8th September 2025: My granddaughter Freya travelled with me for the annual Moke Club Welsh Weekend to Snowdonia. We had a great time with the long trips up from home and back again. Three days of trips out with 14 Mokes.
A total of 852 miles covered. (38,308 mls) The Moke ran well not missing a beat !
Late September 2025 - took a small "V" section out of each front side screen and sewed/glued up in order to tighten the screens against the sides. The zip insertions had created this slackness. ** Had to refit the turn buttons back to original positions - repainted sections of the screen frames. Resprayed the front grille.
Lunch stop at Staylittle on the way up (photo by a friendly photographer !)
Pilot & co-pilot - note rolled up front screens possible after front zips inserted - big improvement and easier to get in / out !
Flying the Union jack & Dorset flags on aerial fitted for long runs. They need renewal every year !
Some of the 14 mokes attending the 2025 Welsh weekend - our Moke is 3rd from right end
2026
Below : The Moke by Freya Bellamy, my grand daughter August 2023
Below : Wiring digram after conversion to negative earth (May 2023)
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