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Mini à La Tropézienne
On Côte d’Azur it’s easy to see supercars, hypercars and oversized SUVs, but when you arrive in St. Tropez, the unmatched queen of the road is the Mini Moke!
Agile, scary, spartan, perfectly tuned to the beaches and the nature of those places that, although modernized, still breathe atmospheres straight from the 60s. And the design of this car started developing in the 60s, when British Motor Corporation was asked to create a lightweight military vehicle. What came out was really easy to carry, by weight and size, but unsuitable for off-road driving, which is often required for military vehicles.
In 1964 it was then decided to turn it into a vehicle for the civilian market, produced by the same Company until 1968 and then licensed by other manufacturers in the world for decades.
The simplicity of construction is extreme: the two Mini sedan frames are connected by a couple of side strut and the floor panels have a structural function. The bodywork is composed of few elements, linear to the maximum. Glasses are reduced to the windshield only and the canvas doors are equipped with a plastic window. Over the heads, a single-breasted coat, supported by a metal stick. A layout and image which was following the ”spiaggine” (cars in vogue at the time but, unlike what happened with the Moke, specifically born for a playful use). However, the raw equipment and design have brought this Mini into some moments of partial oblivion, in times when customers began to look for the first comforts even on the small everyday cars and so it had been waiting awhile, in some garages in the beautiful St. Tropez (and other charming resorts), then resurrect to new life and regaining fame.
The unconventional but at the same time sober line is able to be elegant in its own way and, as we all know, elegance never goes out of fashion. If elegance is also a bit informal then the perfect cocktail is served and the Mini Moke is ready to cruise and shine on the beach of Pampelonne, as well as the venues and yachts on the pier, driven in swimsuit and flip flop (let’s say espadrillas … to be in line with the code) or in an elegant dress and heels (ok … even in moccasins). At the end of the day, it does not matter if the precision and effectiveness on the road are not the same as those of the Mini winning in the rally as well, because its dynamic characteristics are still enough to make it so enjoyable.
This very Moke is born in 1987 and in 2013 was purchased by current owners, Niccolò and his father Giovanni. After being completely dismantled, the specialist – Luciano – has done a complete restoration, drawing both from the original component and the exquisite world of third-party manufacturers. The customization options are in fact many and allow you to get tailor made specimens, remaining coherent with the time period of the model. The philosophy of personalization, which has always accompanied the Mini universe, has also allowed it to obtain a unique result, impeccable conditions and characterized by an appreciable reliability.
Its agility, its sympathy and the sense of freedom that it gives invoke to use it as soon as possible and not just on the seaside, arousing admiration and astonishment in other motorists, being seen on a vehicle almost as low and naked as a go kart is, which applies a nearly constant smile on both the driver and passengers and infuses good humor to those who are simply spectators.
Words: Gianluca Torini
Photos: Ferruccio Casoni
Model: Stella Gelardi
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