| Australian Moke Production Figures |
Australia produced Mokes from 1966 through to June 1982, originally at the Zetland plant at Victoria Park, NSW and then from 1974 to the end at the PMC Factories at Enfield, NSW. Originally under the badge of Morris Moke, BMC, BLMC and Finally Leyland Australia. The first Mokes in 1966 were shipped out of the UK as complete knock down(CKD) units until production in England shutdown in 1968 and the pressing equipment and tooling was moved to Australian at Zetland. The original Aussie Moke had its own unique features, giving it its own identity from the UK original, most notably the introduction of the 13" wheels in April 1968. The figure most quoted in magazines and on the internet for the number of Australian Mokes built is 26,142 however most do not provide any reference to the source, and the few that do just refer to other references that don't. So this is where the fiction moves into the realms of fact, however if anyone can provide a difinitive source I would be happy to see it. My searching has lead me to believe the number is more likely to be 34,704 which isn't some obscure number plucked from the air, but has it credibility in tangible touchable fact. In Issue 6 of The Mini Experience in 2006 Craig did an article on the Moke understood to be the last one of the production line. On page 64 you will see a picture of the brass plate affixed to the Moke proclaiming it to be the last Moke produced in Australia in June 1982. On the same brass plaque is "Moke No. 34,704". I hope to be able to provide a copy of that photo here for all to see. My expectation that whoever came up with that number in June 1982 had access to the company records and is therefore more likely to be the correct figure than the mysterious 26,142. The second piece of evidence supporting this figure comes from the Australian Moke Register project which Andrew Pugsley and I started as part of the www.moke.com.au website back in 2005. Still a work in progress, but thanks to the many people who have provided their details, we have been able to get some reasonable figures to help answer support the 34,704 figure. Firstly by extracting the lowest serial number from the highest serial available in the AMR for each range of build prefixes and then total those numbers up, we currently have a figure of 30,602 Mokes. Having a fair idea what the starting figure for each prefix range and using that number instead of the lowest serial number entered, the probability total extends to 32,011. These figures are correct at November 2007. As you can see both numbers suggest a figure of 34,704 is more likely to be correct than 26,142. As more Moke details are entered in the AMR then I expect these figures to grow more accurate and closer to the 34,704 figure that I believe to be correct. "Moke Serial numbers started at 501" An often quoted phrase which is only partially true as it was only the Mokes prefixed with YJBABnR that this applies to, mostly those built at Zetland between 1966 to 1973. In the the newer prefixes they had their own starting point. For 018 prefixed Mokes built from 1973 onwards then the starting serial number is 8001, or perhaps 8000, from all accounts based on the information in the AMR. From around 1977 AKF/AKP became the prefix and its starting number was most likey to be 100001 or 100000 There was also another rare prefix, 030, which can be found on the last of the 'Export Mokes', however the serial numbers appear to follow on from the YJBAB1nR prefiexed serial numbers. "There were only 500 Export Mokes built" This legend has been around longer than I have been into Mokes and once again the AMR is showing this figure to be incorrect with Export Mokes serial numbers currently showing 803 were produced up to at least February 1973. How many Mokes Built for each prefix? These figures are subject to change as more Mokes are entered in the AMR, but as of November 2007 the figures suggest.
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