1978 Leyland Moke California review from Australia and New Zealand

Nothing so far, as I have only driven it on sunny days. Plus I am now living in England so the car is up on stands in a shed in Australia for the moment.

I have had a few cars in recent years, including a modified Subaru WRX, SAAB turbo, Mercedes 190E 2.6 and 1967 Fiat 124. But out of all of these cars the Moke is the most enjoyable to drive. Not as fast as the subaru or comfortable as the Merc, but what else can you simply just jump into (has no roof - instead has a custom designed & powder coated roll bar) and drive? Better yet, what car runs for a week on $5 petrol?

I bought the car for $750, then sanded the whole thing back to bare metal and had it resprayed in blue with a white roll bar. I think it is californian because of the white sunrasia wheels and gills at the front, but could be mistaken. I have ditched the old carburettors for twin SU's which are bigger than the engine itself to make it go better, it actually suprises quite a few cars off at the lights.

My wife hates the car as it is too unsafe. I must admit I won't be hitting too many freeways with it, but it is perfect for loading up some mountain bikes and heading up a big dirt hill in. A friend of mine was almost killed in one when he was side-swiped by a car, hence safety is a zero. You are the crumple zone!

To summarise, a friend has offered a considerable amount of money for the car, but I refuse to sell it, as I can see myself taking this out on sunny weekends for many years to come.