Moke Twin

This looks innocent enough, just an old Mini Moke, but if you look more carefully you might notice an almost complete lack of space behind the seats and a strange bulge over the rear wheels.

Inside there is the (usual) most basic of instrument panels and surprise, surprise, not one but two gear levers. That's right, one for the front engine and one for the second, rear engine. There are also two ignition keys.

This is a prototype twin-engined four-wheel-drive Mini Moke. The Moke started as a light 4x2 military project but did not have sufficient offroad capability and this was one attempt to rectify the problem with drive at both ends.

The twin gear levers should be joined by a linkage which is missing. There is only one clutch pedal and one accelerator, which serve both motors.

It must have had quite good performance, being a light, minimalist vehicle with 8-cylinders and 2 x 848cc to urge it along.

The twin engine idea was not new - Citroen actually put a twin-engined 2CV, the Sahara, into production.

Anyone who watched British RallyCross in the late 1960's may also recall one or more twin-engined mini-car specials in the competition.
- Larry Stanley