One of the most desired TV custom cars
of the ‘60s, other than the Batmobile, was one sweet ride. The Monkeemobile debuted on “The Monkees” TV show featuring a four-man band trying to make it big in the rock ‘n roll scene. Jerry
, your favorite super car app
, takes a closer look at The Monkees’ car. Origins of The Monkees’ car
The artisan who brought the electric red Monkeemobile to life was Dean Jeffries, who was no rookie in the custom car scene. Remember the Black Beauty we saw Bruce Lee driving on “The Green Hornet”? Jeffries. The modified Porsche 550 Spyder that the legendary James Dean died in? Jeffries worked on that, too.
Jeffries collaborated with George Toteff, head of Model Products Corporation (MPC) before he built the Monkeemobile in a span of 10 days.
A blue customized 1966 Pontiac GTO, also known as Tony’s convertible from “I Dream of Jeannie,” was used to create this iconic sitcom car. We can’t say we’re surprised that General Motors repurposed the vehicle, as they sponsored Screen Gems/Columbia which also produced “The Monkees.”
The Monkeemobile wasn’t just a car for show—it packed some serious performance. According to Driving
, “Side-exit exhausts poked out from just behind the front wheels, and a huge blower erupted from the front hood. Behind, the trunk had been hollowed out to make room for a curved bench seat, and a giant canvas top was stretched over the whole shebang like an early Ford Model T.” With a long nose and tail, it even had a drag-style racing chute fitted. The legendary vehicle sported a 389-cubic-inch V8 engine with Hydra-Matic automatic transmissions.
How many Monkeemobiles were there?
Apparently, Pontiac exes were not initially fans of the bright red midsize car and found the tweaks to be appalling and untasteful. However, production was slated to begin and there was not enough time to modify the car any further. As they say, the show must go on.
There were actually two Monkeemobiles. One was used on the TV show and the other one toured and made countless appearances. The only noticeable difference to the naked eye is how big the Monkees band logo appears on the doors.
The first vehicle had a GMC 6-71 supercharger that stuck out of the hood, which made it pretty much undrivable. According to Driving, “The second Monkeemobile, the one used for promotional events, had weight added to the trunk and the rear suspension removed so it could do crowd-pleasing wheel stands.”
Monkeemobile kits were made to support the show’s large fan base, and more than 7 million MPC 1/25 scale models were sold. Impressive and “reportedly second only to the ‘Dukes of Hazzard’s’ General Lee, in terms of TV car model sales,” MeTV
notes. MORE: What Happened to the ‘Chitty Chitty Bang Bang’ Car?
Where are the Monkeemobiles now?
When production for “The Monkees” wrapped, Jeffries had the opportunity to purchase back the customized convertible from Columbia at a very reasonable price. We’re talking only $1,000! But despite the great deal, Jeffries decided against it, claiming he could build the car on his own if he really wanted one.
So where did the two famous cars end up? Notable Hollywood car enthusiast George Barris bought one, and if anyone assumed he created the car himself, he didn’t correct them. And Jeffries wasn’t thrilled.
The other bright red convertible was left behind in Australia after The Monkees took it there on tour. “A quarter of a century later, the car mysteriously turned up in Puerto Rico, where it was being used at a hotel as a courtesy car,” MeTV reports.
Can you imagine being transported to your room in that awesome hotel limousine? It’s even rumored to have been painted pink.
According to Driving, the “Puerto Rican government seized the car and auctioned it off against unpaid taxes. It sold, in 1992, to an anonymous buyer who paid the minimum $5,000 bid for the car, then shipped it to New York state.” In 1997, it was fully restored to appear alongside The Monkees on an ABC television special.
And in 2008, it caught the eye of a collector who purchased it at a Barrett-Jackson for about $400,000.
As for The Monkees themselves, in the late ‘60s, they took the world by storm outselling both The Rolling Stones and The Beatles combined. We wouldn’t be surprised if we saw one of these Monkeemobiles at the next big car show, as bringing back some ‘60s nostalgia could quite possibly break the internet.
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