The first batch of designer Michael Young's updated Moke beach buggy has been produced, ahead of the car's launch later this year (+ slideshow).
Michael Young has reproduced the iconic buggy first designed over 50 years ago as a robust version of the MINI, then discontinued in 1993.
"The Moke has always been a unique car, it's a folly of the best kind but it does take a certain type of user to drive one," Young told Dezeen. "It always draws attention on any street in any country, so in this sense it is a design success, despite its playfulness and market."
As the original components are no longer available, Young's team 3D-scanned the vintage parts they could get hold of and redesigned others. "The car is totally new," said Young. "Even though it looks like the original, it's not."
Moke's distinctive features include its angular chassis, rounded bonnet and large circular headlights, plus a soft detachable roof that drapes over roll bars.
Young added an ice cooler in the boot for beer and food, as well as a dashboard that includes a clip for newspapers or to fix a dog lead and nets to store items behind rather than a glove box.
The Moke was previously assembled in Portugal but the manufacturing has been shifted to China, despite issues with the factory's lack of vintage production experience.
"The biggest challenges were around adapting the car's historical design for a modern Chinese factory," Young told us. "China simply does not have any cars that have a history, reputation or following like the Moke, so educating the factory was a part of the process too."
The first production batch has already sold out and the global launch will take place on Bondi Beach, Sydney, later this year.
When Young spoke to Dezeen in an interview last year, he made a prediction that China will produce as many world-class designers as Japan within 20 years.
Other cars launched this year include Jaguar's F-Type, the follow-up to its iconic E-Type model, and BMW's first fully electric production car, the i3.
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Here's some info that Michael Young sent to us:
The Moke is back with Michael Young
Guiding this car from drawing to production was a major undertaking, I now understand why there are so many terrible looking cars on the roads, apart from the lack of risk taking and legislation. The first production run of cars was based on a low volume scheme which was of course a challenge in China.
When my studio joined the project there was an initial version of the car halfway through the system which had been driven by previous factory floor decision making. We stripped back all of those decisions and took a fresh view which meant we had to adjust the body for the new size engine and steering and then build up the parts around that.
Of course with an iconic vehicle like the Moke the objective was to retain it’s heritage but bring it forward to 2013 ground zero detailing. The first production has already sold out and we are preparing for the global launch this year on Bondi Beach, Sydney Australia.