Current Condition Of The 1966 Pontiac GTO Monkeemobile

Apart from their musical success, The Monkees and the TV show itself were famous for their car which was named The Monkeemobile which end up becoming a sweetheart for numerous individuals. Monkeemobile is not to be ever confused as a cousin of Batmobile unless you want to be killed by DC fans. 

Who made it and how many?

Dean Jeffries is the designer of the Monkeemobile. Yes, he is also the man who made the ‘Black Beauty’ car for the 1966 film, The Green Hornet starring Bruce Lee and Van Williams. That said, the Monkeemobile was built just over a period of 4 weeks. However, an interesting fact that people miss is that they think there was only one Monkeemobile ever built. In fact, there were 2. One was used in the TV sitcom while the other was used for touring and promotion. Although, both cars had some minor but subtle differences. Some include blower lines, the size of the door logo, and more.

 Where it all started?

Dean Jeffries was contracted with Model Products Corporation (MPC) before and during the design of the Monkeemobile. When he was offered to make the car for The Monkees show, he discussed it with George Toteff, CEO of MPC. 

Pontiac chief marketing manager Jim Wangers and George Toteff were friends. Since no car was finalized by show executives, Jim Wangers saw this as an opportunity. He took the opportunity to promote the 1966 GTO convertible. He eventually gave two entry-level two-base 389 4-barrel models. 

Pop culture phenomenon

The Monkees TV Series aired on NBC and lasted for two seasons and featured Monkeemobile. The car become a cultural icon not only through its appearance on the show but also became it was used in various car shows, promotions, and of course in music videos by The Monkees band. You can always check out the song ‘Piston Power by Micky Dolenz to get a good idea about the band’s love for their treasured car.

A 1/25 scale kit model of the Monkeemobile was sold by MPC. An estimated 7 million copies were sold. If this doesn’t tell you how much kids and adults loved this car, we don’t know what else could. 

Design and Interior

The Monkeemobile was a modified version of the 1966 Pontiac GTO. It was a soft-top T-bucket convertible with a customized front end that resembled a rocket ship and had a curvy snouty nose. One can see the GTO symbol on the front grille whereas there is also a hood ornament just ahead where the engine is popping out. 

In the rear, modified quarter panels and exaggerated custom-piece taillights were added. Additionally, the main highlight of the rear was actually the parachute. It was used for advertising whoever was the sponsor for the show during commercials. 

Meanwhile, from a distance, its vibrant red is impossible to ignore. You can see the four exhaust tips coming out near the front Cragar wheels from the side. However, not all were functional. 

Inside, The Monkeemobile had three-row. The front and the middle rows had bucket seats while the third and the rear row had bench seats. Furthermore, if you open the glove box in the front row, you will see Dean Jeffries’s crest/emblem. This is how you know you are checking out the real deal. 

Powertrain

The base Pontiac GTO on which the Monkeemobile was customized had a 6.4L four-barrel V8 engine and an automatic transmission. The Monkeemobile first used the 6-71 supercharged engine and an automatic transmission. However, Peter Tork, keyboardist and bass guitarist of the Monkees was scared and was not able to steer the Monkeemobile. As per experts, the car was too ‘powerful’ for him. 

Every time he would drove, the wheels would lift. Hence, later a dummy blower ends up replacing the rear blower. That said, the Monkeemobile also has an extra rear-end weight and a solid-mounted rear axle with no springs.

Replica as a tribute 

A Tour replica car with exact details was made for the 45th Anniversary of The Monkees by New York’s James Benken in 2011. Dean Jeffries was the one who gave directions for this car which become the final project of his life. Furthermore, this 1967 Pontiac GTO 4-speed "donor car" has been signed by all four band members while they were on the tour. 

That being said, one replica of the Monkeemobile was sold for $242,000 by Mecum auction. If you need this one, get ready to have the money in the same ballpark. On the other hand, those who were a regular 1966 Pontiac GTO Convertible can expect an average price tag of $58,011 or more.

Current location of the Monkeemobile 

The show ended after two seasons and both cars were offered to Dean Jeffries for $2,000 each. However, he refused the offer since he thought he could always build one if he needed while saving money. In a 2012 interview, he said, “If I wanted one, I'd build it, get it done next week.”. That's Jeff for you. He and his direct personality. 

George Barris, a famed car customer from Hollywood bought one Monkeemobile which he restored later with the help of Mike Gray of Advanced Restorations. However, George ended up auctioning this Monkeemobile through Barret-Jackson in the 2008 Scottsdale auction. The final bid for the 1966 Pontiac Gto "Monkeemobile" went for $396,000.

The other one was taken on the 1968 Australian Monkees Tour where it was left. For some time it was in the possession of the Norris family. However, after many decades, it mysteriously reappeared in Puerto Rico where it was being used as a hotel courtesy car. A lot happened then. The hotel shut down, the government bought the car for $5,000 and it ended up getting featured in the 1997 ‘The Monkees TV reunion’ show. After its brief appearance on the “Cars & Guitars of Rock'n'Roll,” display at the Petersen Automotive Museum, Los Angeles, California, the second Monkeemobile found its current home in the garage of a Southeast Michigan collector. 

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