There is a long history behind the Mini Cooper and Moke, which was a Mini based vehicle produced between the years 1964 and 1968. The idea was to combine the all-terrain capability of a military jeep while giving it more of a “golf cart” silhouette. Well, the military wasn’t interested due to ground clearance issues, and so the Moke was thrown into public consumption.
Ever since that day, the Moke has been popping in and out of the exhibition car circuit like PeeWee Herman at a peepshow. In 1980 we had one with a 1000 cc Austin engine, and in 2017 there was an aluminum version capable of travel on water or land (amphibious). This year they have introduced the first V8 engine to be smashed between its relatively narrow fenders.
The Mini V8M is the most basic code Lazareth could think of to describe a 460 horsepower Maserati V8 tamed by a robotic gearbox, 17-inch aluminum rims, and a roll bar. The dry weight of the V8M is only around 1850 pounds, so the power to weight ratio is pretty amazing with 520 lb-ft of torque under one foot.
The interior includes two seats, shoulder harness, a steering wheel, and a speedometer – the absolute bare minimum any guy would require to get himself into a heap of trouble. So it isn’t “quite legal” to be driven on any windy, public road, but would that really stop you?
We didn’t think so. Now hop aboard for a virtual drive:
Learn more about the Mini V8M here.
About Dr. Eric J. Leech
Eric has written for over a decade. Then one day he created Urbasm.com, a site for every guy.
About Dr. Eric J. Leech