Snake45 Posted October 4, 2014 Share Posted October 4, 2014 I have an old 1966 car magazine where builder Dean Jeffries described the paint as "Candy Wine Burgundy." On TV the car looked red-orange, not too far from Chevy Engine Red: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96A0uyFWQHs I've seen period photos where it had an almost pinkish look to it. Photos of the restored cars (or reproductions) over the years show everything from an orangish red to a reddish orange to what looks light straight-up candy apple red. I have an old glue bomb* original 1966 MPC Monkeemobile I'm thinking of restoring. If I wanted to do the ORIGINAL car--not one of the restorations or repros of the last 40 years--what's the best paint for it? *Yes, bombed by me back in the day, I'm not proud to admit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry P. Posted October 4, 2014 Share Posted October 4, 2014 The original Monkeemobile #1 (1 of 2 built for the TV show, not any of the later copies or "restorations" which varied in color from red to burgundy) was painted Code Name: Lip Stick Red (copyrighted by Dean Jeffries), and the car had NO Monkees logos on the doors and a TAN top (not white). As far as what exact shade of red that would be, I can't tell you. Sounds like it would be a bright, solid red (not a metallic, not a burgundy)... but I'm just guessing. Some online photos of the restored car show a bright vivid red, but this site also has a photo with the car looking orangey-red. http://thecaveboard.yuku.com/topic/6369/Monkeemobile-1-2-3-Photos#.VDAmPCjVCzc Here, the restored #1 car is listed as just "red": http://www.barrett-jackson.com/Archive/Event/Item/1966-PONTIAC-GTO-MONKEEMOBILE-61181 This is after George Barris got his hands on it and "re-customized" it... he added all sorts of high-end audio equipment and subwoofers, etc. Also it has the incorrect white top (the car was originally built with a tan top). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unclescott58 Posted October 4, 2014 Share Posted October 4, 2014 Tan top Harry? Are you sure of that? All of the photos I've ever seen of the car from the 60's sure look white to me. Later in the 80's the car showed up with a tan top and interior. I keep the above picture on file just to remind me of what the original colors for the interior were. One of the cars the Monkees themselves use in the 1980's a later, had a tan interior with a tan dashboard. This never seemed right to me. Sorry that picture does not show the color of the top. But again, the pictures I've seem from back in the day, look white to me. Scott Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unclescott58 Posted October 4, 2014 Share Posted October 4, 2014 The two sources you offered links to make me unsure on the top color. If the top is tan. It's a very light tan. Not like what was seen on later variations of the Monkeemobile. Which for sure had a tan top and interior. The interior should always be white with black carpet. The color of the dash? It's not tan as used later on. Nor white as some sources have claimed, and some models have shown. Scott Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snake45 Posted October 4, 2014 Author Share Posted October 4, 2014 The top's definitely tan--a light tan--on the video from the TV show. The white interior upholstery can also be seen there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daddyfink Posted October 4, 2014 Share Posted October 4, 2014 I think white looks lots better than the tan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry P. Posted October 4, 2014 Share Posted October 4, 2014 Tan top Harry? Are you sure of that? Yes. The original car had a light tan top, later restored versions of the car had a white top. The color balance in this old film is off, the car looks orangey... but you can clearly see the top is tan, not white. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Posted October 4, 2014 Share Posted October 4, 2014 Tom Cotter's excellent Dean Jeffries book includes only a couple of "period" color shots of the Monkeemobile(s). One shows it with a white top and interior, the other with a tan top and interior. Both photos are credited to Jeffries' own collection. The "tan" shot looks to be from back in the day because the car has Goodyear "blue stripe" racing tires and not some off-brand lettered tires that Barris probably put on the car later as part of some promotional deal. The "white" shot looks like it was taken later, but who knows? The text, however, mentions that Jeffries used stock white GTO bucket seats front and rear. But the upholstery pattern on the seats doesn't look stock. Two cars were built originally...maybe one had white, the other tan? The exterior color looks like a solid (not metallic or candy) red. The solid color probably would have been a lot easier to touch up when the car(s) were bumped or scratched during filming. The Jeffries book wouldn't be of much help with the Monkeemobile project, but it's a great read nevertheless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unclescott58 Posted October 4, 2014 Share Posted October 4, 2014 (edited) I agree with Jesse above. Even if the white top is not correct, I like the looks of it. And when the time comes to build my model, I'll do it that way. But what color does one paint the dash? I'm thinking black, to go along with the black carpet. Scott Edited October 4, 2014 by unclescott58 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unclescott58 Posted October 4, 2014 Share Posted October 4, 2014 Oh, by the way, good luck if you try to do a model of the quintessential TV Batmobile. I found a web site one time that looked at each Batman episode looking at the changes made to car #1 alone through out the series. They were changing something on that car just about every week! Some very minor. Others like the canopy and steering wheel somewhat major. I wonder how much of this was also going on with the Monkeemobile throughout that series too. We know about the door logo. How many other changes were there? Scott Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry P. Posted October 4, 2014 Share Posted October 4, 2014 From what I've read, there were two Monkeemobiles built for the TV show. One stayed in L.A. and was used in the actual TV show itself. That's the one featured in the show's opening theme, and in various episodes during season 1. The other (identical to the first) was the "promotional" car that went on the road and was displayed at car shows and various other Monkees promotional events. That second car was never used in the first season of the show, but was used during the second season, along with car #1. The Monkees logo was not on the car in season 1, but was added for season 2. Both of those cars had a light tan top. Originally the Monkeemobile(s) had a real blower and a rear axle mounted solidly to the frame (no rear suspension). The idea was that the car would be able to do "wheelies" that way, but the car was found to be almost undriveable, so they put in a 4-barrel carb and a fake blower that hid the carb. Here's where it gets weird. In 1968, Monkeemobile #1 was sent to Australia along with the boys, as they were doing a concert tour down there. But for some reason that car didn't come back with the Monkees after their tour was over. It apparently passed through several owners and eventually was found in Puerto Rico, of all places, where it had been painted pink and was being used as a hotel courtesy car! The car was sold for $5,000 via government auction when the hotel went out of business in the early '90s, and today a private collector owns it. Car #2 (the one that was originally sent on the road to do promotional appearances) wound up in the hands of George Barris, who eventually restored it (and also made many changes to it, like changing the top from tan to white), and of course in typical George Barris style took credit for designing it (false! Dean Jeffries did). Barris auctioned it off in 2008 for almost $400,000. That car (car #2) also is now owned by a private collector. There were also several clones and "tribute" cars built after the fact, so the story gets pretty murky. But from what I've found online, today both "real" Monkeemobiles (cars #1 and #2) are still in the hands of private collectors. Any other "Monkeemobiles" floating around are copies of the original two. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
High octane Posted October 4, 2014 Share Posted October 4, 2014 Barris would NEVER take credit for something that he didn't do, would he??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace-Garageguy Posted October 5, 2014 Share Posted October 5, 2014 Barris would NEVER take credit for something that he didn't do, would he??? Didn't he invent the internet, too? Or was that pants ?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snake45 Posted October 5, 2014 Author Share Posted October 5, 2014 Didn't he invent the internet, too? Or was that pants ?? It was the wheel. George Barris invented the wheel. Also, the color red. If you don't believe it, just ask him. I was a big GB fan when I was a kid. And then one day I saw a photo of either a Pantera or a Mangusta (I forget which) he'd done, which had a fake exhaust pipe coming out the front fender and down into a lake pipe or side exhaust. I thought that was the stupidest car thing I'd ever seen (to this day, it would still make my Top Five), and then I started noticing a lot of stupid candy and tacky gingerbread on his cars. Some of his more tasteful mid-'60s stuff is still kinda cool, but I'm not a fan of most of his stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unclescott58 Posted October 5, 2014 Share Posted October 5, 2014 (edited) Car #2 (the one that was originally sent on the road to do promotional appearances) wound up in the hands of George Barris, who eventually restored it (and also made many changes to it, like changing the top from tan to white), and of course in typical George Barris style took credit for designing it (false! Dean Jeffries did). Barris auctioned it off in 2008 for almost $400,000. That car (car #2) also is now owned by a private collector. Harry, I thought Barris changed the top to a darker tan not white? And at the same time changed the interior from white to the same darker tan? Scott Edited October 5, 2014 by unclescott58 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 5, 2014 Share Posted October 5, 2014 Didn't he invent the internet, too? That wal Algore Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unclescott58 Posted October 5, 2014 Share Posted October 5, 2014 By the way, Barris not only claims to have done just about every show car out there, whether true or not. He also thinks that as "King" of Kustomizers we owe him tribute. Every car show he's at you have to pay his for autograph. I remember "Big Daddy" Ed Roth. The nicest guy around. He'd sign anything for free. A year and a half ago, I met Bruce Myers. Of Meyers Manx fame. Another nice guy, who did not charge you anything for his autograph. He happily gave me his autograph twice. One on the roof for my AMT Myers Manx dune buggy kit. Barris isn't the "King" of Kustomizers. As far as I'm concerned, he's the "whore" of Kustomizers. And his claims on the Monkeemobile and others he didn't do prove it. Scott Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gtx6970 Posted October 5, 2014 Share Posted October 5, 2014 (edited) IMO, the top was originally a light tan, with maybe the interior and even lighter shade of tan. Dash was most definitly a tan or gold color. And in some pics the steering wheel looks black , some it looks tan Edited October 5, 2014 by gtx6970 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danno Posted October 5, 2014 Share Posted October 5, 2014 Barris would NEVER take credit for something that he didn't do, would he??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisBcritter Posted October 5, 2014 Share Posted October 5, 2014 (edited) I'm probably the exception here, then - I knew George's son Brett through our car club, and he invited me over to Kustom City in North Hollywood. He took me on a tour of the place (the Munsters' Koach was there) and introduced me to his father, who gave me some autographed photos of the custom sharknose Graham he'd recently done - free. I told him I was especially a big fan of the cars he and Sam built early on, which he seemed to appreciate more. Maybe things are different when he's at shows and has a big audience? Edited October 5, 2014 by ChrisBcritter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrherald420 Posted October 5, 2014 Share Posted October 5, 2014 When i built my car i did some research and found one site that claimed the car was red with a white top and a white interior but due the the film technology at the time the white color was changed to a light tan because the film could respond better to filming it in bright conditions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry P. Posted October 5, 2014 Share Posted October 5, 2014 When i built my car i did some research and found one site that claimed... The problem with the internet is that you can't rely on just one site for your "facts," because as we all know, anybody can put up anything on the internet. The trick is to do a thorough search and try to find many sites related to your topic, and then see how many agree on the facts. From my research, I'm pretty confident that the "real" Monkeemobiles (cars 1 and 2) had light tan tops from the start, and only later, when all of the "tribute" cars appeared (and after Barris got his hands on car #2) did the top mysteriously turn white. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrherald420 Posted October 5, 2014 Share Posted October 5, 2014 I didn't rely on just one site. But several that were fairly trust worthy. no longer have those links or pictures saved. Either way the White looks better than the tan so thats why i made mine white. Either way im not wasting my time arguing about the color of a top. Ive seen pictures of the cast driving a car with what looked to me as a off white top and another with a tight tan top. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danno Posted October 6, 2014 Share Posted October 6, 2014 Barris probably changed it from tan to white because white was 50 or 60 cents cheaper than tan . . . per top. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gobobbie Posted October 6, 2014 Share Posted October 6, 2014 One of the things I have learned is that sometimes there is considerable difference in how a vehicle may have been originally painted and then what happens when it is time to shoot some film. They sometimes have to change shades because of how it shows up on film. Then they may change to a different film stock which could change the color again. Though not applicable to car models when Lon Chaney was doing his makeup he experimented with different film stock and would change his makeup accordingly. I remember reading that on the TV show SWAT the van although painted with a dark LAPD blue always showed up black and they subsequently painted it a much lighter blue to get it to the correct t shade. Bob gregory Ruining one model at a time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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