How to identify a Prisoner Moke?

[watto]

Something else I just noticed.

In the colour pic from the TV series the trim on the roof and back of the Moke closest to the camera features yellow or orange stripes in a regular pattern. The photo of HLT outside the Hilton and being sat in by Haley Mills seem to match that pattern.

However, the roof pattern on the car now is quite different - being with wide dark stripes separated by two narrow lighter stripes. This roof pattern actually matches the roof on the little cart on the left of the colour pic from the show, and although difficult to tell in the low resolution photo, appears to match the roof of the Moke with the trailer. It also matches the pattern of the roof and trim on the two Mokes (or two pics of the same Moke) pictured on p126 of the Moke Ultimate Portfolio.

Cheers,
Watto.

[MiniKay]

Hi all,

Watto's pointed me in the direction of this thread.

All I can say is that both Phil and Doreen Wood told me that W&P did the Mokes for the Prisoner.

The first time I met Doreen was at the premises of Wood & Pickett (present incarnation) in 2009 at an open day. There was a Moke on display in their showroom, and she started telling me how she remembered Wood and Pickett making the Mokes for the Prisoner TV series. I didn't know anything about them before that.

Subsequently I spent a morning at Phil Wood's office interviewing the two of them and they told me the stories I wrote in the interview feature. Phil remembered taking a Moke to the set and watching the filming. The references to opening the doors with a bit of string was not the Moke doors - it was the room doors on the set. Those who have seen the TV series will remember that doors would open automatically as people walked through them - he was disappointed to see that there were men out of shot with bits of string, opening them as people walked through.

Doreen's comment about being stuck in the road because of the combination lock is also exactly as she told me. I doubt the lock was a standard fitment. Those sort of combination locks that fit over the handbrake simply stop you getting at the button which releases the brake. I actually have one myself that I bought for my Mk1 from eBay (although I've never used it) but they were a sixties accessory that would be ideal for open vehicles like a Moke.

I was surprised by Doreen's story at first, because I thought she meant she'd been taking it to Portmerion where the exteriors for the series were filmed, which would have been a long drive, but subsequently found out that most of the series was filmed at Borehamwood/Elstree, so nearer London and a not unreasonable distance for her to be asked to take a Moke. Probably only about ten miles or so.

It doesn't of course mean that they made all of them. There may well have been others made by different people. But I can only repeat what I am told. If W&P didn't make Prisoner Mokes then I can't see why either Doreen or Phil would have made such stories up.

[watto]

Thanks Kay for clearing that up about the doors - I was a tad confused there.

I don't think they would have made it up, but as I'm sure you are aware, memories can often not be perfectly reliable.

I questioned the W&P connection when I saw the photos in the Barton's Accessories catalogue, and considering W&P's up-market position. As you said in your post, it is possible the Mokes were made by more than one company, which might in itself explain the two different types of trim.

Cheers,
Watto.

[Schizoid Moke]

Thanks to Minikay for the background to the MIni World feature. My mistake if I'd thought Phil had mentioned actually working on the cars.

Regarding Watto's observation about the different trim - there are at least two - possibly three - different fabric patterns used on the Prisoner Mokes, and they seem to be changed from vehicle to vehicle during the series. At least one design does match other props used in the programme, so it would probably have been sourced from the same supplier. Perhaps there was a shortage of one particular style, causing different patterns to be used.

As regards the possibility of other firms working on the conversions - Crayford has been mentioned, but having spoken to the Crayford owners club they have no knowledge of the company being involved with any of the Prisoner Mokes, while information on what Barton actually produced, apart from the fibreglass hardtop seems pretty thin on the ground (unless someone can correct me). Geographically neither company is anything like as conveniently placed as Wood and Pickett were in North London (Crayford in South London. Barton in Cornwall), to deliver to the studios in Borehamwood, so I think it would be very surprising to find that W & P weren't solely responsible for the four Mokes that appear on screen in the series.

[watto]

Not being a Londoner - I have been there twice, though - the location argument is a good point.

Cheers,
Watto.

[PJ]

Has anyone thought to ask Dick Barton? I believe he is a Club member - he certainly attended the AGM last autumn to receive a 'Gold Badge' award.

PJ

[Schizoid Moke]

Has anyone thought to ask Dick Barton? I believe he is a Club member - he certainly attended the AGM last autumn to receive a 'Gold Badge' award.

PJ

That sounds like a great idea if it hasn't been thought of before. Would love to know more about the creation of the Barton brochure.

[Dean]

Has anyone thought to ask Dick Barton? I believe he is a Club member - he certainly attended the AGM last autumn to receive a 'Gold Badge' award.

PJ

Yeah, I was thinking that when I started reading this thread so I contacted Louisa the other day to ask if he is a member and she confirmed he was and would see if he was still around (he lives local to her I believe).
Dean

[watto]

That would certainly be a great idea.

Watto.

[Dean]

Has anyone thought to ask Dick Barton? I believe he is a Club member - he certainly attended the AGM last autumn to receive a 'Gold Badge' award.

PJ

Yeah, I was thinking that when I started reading this thread so I contacted Louisa the other day to ask if he is a member and she confirmed he was and would see if he was still around (he lives local to her I believe).
Dean

She also mentioned that there was an obituary in the local paper for a Richard "Dick" Barton recently. Let's hope it's not the same person.
Dean

[Nottinghamphil]

Hello All
I am the person who owned and restored the Moke from Portmeirion ( CFC 916C ) in the 1990s, the car now lives in the USA after being sold in 1999.
I am still very active in restoring Mini's for export worldwide.
The link given earlier to a toy dealer IS NOT ME.
I can be contacted by PM.

[Forest Minis]

Nottinghamphil:

I sent you an email.

[Avengerland]

I've been doing some research on this and there are 4 Mokes in "The Prisoner" series.

Here are the best grabs I can get for steering wheels and consoles for each one - comments would be appreciated.

Moke one - HLT 709C - As we know this has been seen in photos before the making of 'The Prisoner' and is the one found in 2011. It was used throughout the production of the series from September 1966 to September 1967.



Moke two "Footplate" - Second longest runner, seen from September 1966 through to March 1967 - distinctive metal footplates - I call this "Foot Plate" Moke. Footplates become standard for Wood and Pickett conversions in 1968. It picks up a nice new set of double wipers between leaving Portmeirion in October 1966 and filming back at MGM Borehamwood.



Moke 3 "Black Bumper" - Only used in filming in Portmeirion in 1966, but used a lot . I call it "Black Bumper" because it has them. It has no grab handles or wing mirrors.



Moke 4 "Eye Level" - Appears late in Portmeirion for the last week of shooting and in studio January 1966 - This has two eye-level wing mirrors - hence the name; one white, one black. This moke also has black mud flaps (not the white Vespa flaps), no parcel shelf (as far as I can make out) and no hinges on the pannier covers (hinges are W&P standard).



Any comments appreciated - especially on the retro fitting of double wipers on 'Footplate" and its steering wheel.

[Avengerland]

From my Prisoner Moke research - the four Mokes sporting the different canopies they had during filming.

HLT


Footplate


Black Bumper


Eye Level

[Ezeltje]

Nice job... Thanks,

André