Schmitt Moke

[Sharks]

Hi!

Have seen a few "Schmitt" Mokes pop up on social media recently and thought some people here might like to read about them. After a quick search of the forum I found the odd mention across the years, but nothing on their history. One particular instagram post peaked my interest, and it reads the following (once put through Google Translate):

Schmitt: the French Moke!
In 1981, faced with the success of Citroën and Renault, and with the original Mini Moke having been THE fashionable beach / camping / golf car for more than 15 years already, the Frenchman Jean-Claude Hrubon took the lead to exploit a new vein and market the French “Mini Moke”.
Drawing on its experience in the prototype category at the 24 hours of Le Mans, Hrubon took up most of the ideas of the Moke, and entrusted production to Schmitt, a small Alsatian manufacturer specialising in artisanal automobiles. Shortened to two seats but still on a Mini chassis, the Schmitt ultimately shares very few parts with the real Moke since it was neither designed nor produced by the British Leyland; she is a model in her own right, which soon lead to her demise.
The Alsatian Moke was available as a kit or prebuilt, and was available with three engine configurations: a 50cc (not road legal), a 125cc, or a 1000cc of 42hp (which was straight out of a Mini). The 1000cc engine guarantees an astonishing liveliness to this small, light car.
Around only 200 copies saw the light of day, and production ceased in 1987, which makes it a real curiosity today.
Much more exclusive than a Moke, the Schmitt is the very concept of the offbeat car and a bit barren around the edges, but we like that kind of thing.

Here's the original post: https://www.instagram.com/p/CC6YcqAi9B-/

It's quite the interesting vehicle. Similar in body shape to a standard Moke, but with significant differences. The bonnet has no hinges, rather four straps holding it down (compared to the standard two) and the storage compartments on the sides have "trapdoor" like lids that open from the top. It looks like the windscreens also fold down like the real early Mokes.



Images sourced: https://www.instagram.com/p/BzlDXNhi399/, https://www.instagram.com/p/CC8RE-WFg5v/, https://minischmitt.blogspot.com/