Pick Of The Day: The Monkeemobile

When I hear the term “boy band,” an immediate barrage of negative connotations enters my head. So, when I see pop cultural revivals of the Backstreet Boys and NSYNC, I am overcome by revulsion. Yet, if we think about other manufactured bands in the past — the Sex Pistols and the Monkees among them — it doesn’t necessarily mean they’re a bad thing. When it comes to the latter, they most certainly had the coolest car and, by a sheer coincidence, it’s our Pick of the Day: The Monkeemobile is listed for sale on ClassicCars.com by a dealership in Farmingdale, New York.

The basis for the Monkeemobile was the 1966 Pontiac. With a restyle that included Coke-bottle proportions and even more power, the GTO was in peak form — so much so that over 96,000 were built, the most GTOs ever for a model year (if not for any muscle car during the era). Notable styling elements included parking lights in the grille (an idea stolen from the Grand Prix) and louvered taillights (ditto). Under the hood, the base 389 still produced 335 horsepower, with the optional Tri-Power engine offering 25 more. Mid-year, the first of the Ram Air engines was released. It too was rated at 360 horses, but it featured a more aggressive camshaft, close-ratio four-speed, and 4.33 gears.

As you may know, three Americans and a Brit were chosen to play the role of musicians in this manufactured, Beatles-influenced group. The TV show followed the adventures of the struggling quartet as it tried to garner attention from the record-buying public. Several songwriters were used for the early songs — names like Carole King, Harry Nilsson, Neil Sedaka, Carole Bayer Sager, and an up-and-coming songwriter named Neil Diamond.  

Dean Jeffries and his Automotive Styling shop was based in Los Angeles, so he was constantly around a cast of characters, both inside and outside the movies. Following the approval of his proposal, Jeffries received two Fontaine Blue 1966 GTO convertibles, but the producers wanted the cars in a week, which was an impossibility. “The producers waited until the last minute to give us the go-ahead on the cars,” Jeffries told Pontiac historian Don Keefe. “We had to work around the clock for four weeks to get the cars done in time, but we did make it.”

Then there was the tug-of-war between Pontiac and the producers. According to a 2010 interview by Pontiac expert Thom Sherwood, Jeffries indicated Pontiac wanted the car to look unmistakably like a Pontiac. “They were happy to be a part of that — to get the publicity of their car. But then they tried to distance themselves. [They wanted it] to look like a real [production model] and didn’t want all that custom work. Well, the producers of the TV series … wanted something unique. They didn’t want it to look like everything else.” Within six weeks, Jeffries produced two Monkeemobiles; the second car was never used on the show, instead being used for car shows and other promotions.

George Barris purchased one of the Monkeemobiles in 1968, following the cancellation of The Monkees’ TV show. He began attaching his name to the Monkeemobile, but he never had anything to do with the original design — that was all Jeffries.

This Monkeemobile is claimed to be car number three, restored by a representative of George Barris, though the seller confusingly states, “George Barris has often said that this was the number one vehicle.” Worthy of more investigation? Additionally, “No alterations to the actual design features have been made, with the exception of the alterations to the frame and suspension [to make it more drivable] and the removable roof, which is now made to be removed more easily,” which echoes what Jeffries has said about car number one.

The Monkeemobile combines the world of Hollywood with Detroit goodness and a hot-shot car customizer (Dean Jeffries) to create a memorable vehicle recognized by millions. Rather than be a daydream believer, you can make the Monkeemobile yours for $299,900.

Click here to view this Pick of the Day on ClassicCars.com