Wednesday, 6 February 2019

CariMoke: the Jimini of Barbados

Did I know about a Moke copy from Barbados called the CariMoke? Reader Henk van Brakel asked me this and I had to admit I'd never heard of it. But I when I had a look at the pictures that Henk attached it seemed clear to me that this was a Jimini 2 with another name. Or was it? A closer look to the photographs of the car being built by a company named Evolution Cars showed that the bodies were actually made there, too. So a different car after all, not even assembled locally but scratch-built or so it seems. Still probably a Jimini 2 built under a licence? The factory pictures are made by P. Braun in 1998 on the island of Barbados. I would love to find out a little more about these cars.
They do remind me of that other Caribbean built Moke interpretation, seen previously here and here...

A Jimini 2 on Barbados. But actually it is a Evolution Cars CariMoke, built locally
Picture P. Braun / Flickr, via Henk van Brakel

Freshly laminated bodies ready to receive their mechanicals on Barbados in 1998
Picture P. Braun / Flickr, via Henk van Brakel

Mini engines and front suspensions in their subframes ready to go in in Evolution Cars' factory
Update: Hang on, they aren't Mini mechanicals! What are they, and were these used for the CariMoke or did that come with Mini engines after all?
Picture P. Braun / Flickr, via Henk van Brakel

Evolution Cars of Barbados appeared to fully produce these cars, probably under a licence?
Picture P. Braun / Flickr, via Henk van Brakel

Moulds seem to suggest that even the bodies were made locally on the island of Barbados
Picture P. Braun / Flickr, via Henk van Brakel

The finished product: the CariMoke is different in detail to the Jimini 2. Note tall windscreen
Picture P. Braun / Flickr, via Henk van Brakel

This CariMoke uses the same grille shape and simple front bumper as a Jimini. Other (later?) cars appear to have an oval shaped grille and moulded bumpers, as well as a different windscreen (above)
Picture via Henk van Brakel

Chassis plate shows Evolution Cars Ltd. Chassis number 10029 suggests at least 29 cars were made
Picture via Henk van Brakel

4 comments:

  1. In the introduction and below the first picture you talk about Revolution Cars but the chassis plate clearly talks Evolution Cars.

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  2. Hi Jeroen,
    I know some details about the story and I have even found one car were saved, and waiting for rconstruction some years ago, and I even have some pics about the changes, and details of the modification, and the background story! :)

    Do you remember when we talked about to share our data? :)

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  3. Hi we have a Carimoke SL in Antigua, looking to indentify the engine for a new carb, slowley rebuilding all the parts bought it new in 1997 Pls send any links or help cheers
    how do i post pictures?

    ReplyDelete