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Blues Brothers Replica: 1974 Dodge Monaco

Most of us know by now the legendary Bluesmobile from the equally iconic film, The Blues Brothers. Like all movie cars, there’s a fair amount of hype thrown up around them, especially when the car in question is featured predominantly for its performance potential. The Bluesmobile, a retired Dodge Monaco police car equipped with a 440 powerplant, was celebrated for doing things no large, domestic sedan should be able to do, from jumping over Chicago police cars to out-maneuvering anything that got in its path. The car shown here is a faithful replica, equipped with a rebuilt 440 engine and supposedly able to reach 145 miles per hour. Find it here on eBay with bidding at $8,949 and a Buy-It-Now of $21,000.

So many times, movie cars are a huge disappointment. Especially these days with the extensive use of CGI, you rarely can believe what you’re seeing when it comes to vehicles being used in pursuit mode. Even the sounds are dubbed in more often than not, as I recently learned the original DeLorean used in Back to the Future did indeed have the soundtrack from a Porsche 928 layered over its anemic PRV V6. The 440 used in the Dodge Monaco was at least the real-deal powerplant that powered many police pursuit vehicles in the 1970s, and was capable of some serious speed that even rivaled the top speed of Ferraris of a certain vintage.

The seller doesn’t include much back story here as you might expect for a car as symbolic as the Bluesmobile, but it’s not exactly difficult to create a replica that will fool most passers-by. The paint job is simple, the aesthetic is rough, and it really comes down to the props in terms of making it as convincing as possible. It comes with the large megaphone for the roof and the seller recommends adding in a set of black and white suits to ensure you get free beer wherever you go. The other nice-to-have is the original dual inlet air breather/intake that was a key feature of the ridiculous performance capabilities the 440 offered, which is not shown in the photos.

Now, the engine really is the story here, as it not only makes the recreation more authentic, but it also ensures there’s some pretty remarkable performance on board. The 440-powered police cruisers really could achieve top speeds closing in on 150 miles per hour and pull off some respectable 0-60 times for a vehicle shaped like a brick and weighing several thousand pounds. The seller mentions the 440 has been professionally rebuilt and alludes to it being a genuine former police car, but this history is not explicitly shared or explained. Still, no matter what, it looks like the real-deal and more importantly should go like it as well. Would you spend $21K on a movie car like this?

Comments

  1. HoA Howard A Member

    Jake,,,”I get out of prison, and you pick me up in an old police car?”
    Elwood,,,”It’s got a cop motor, 440 cubic inch plant, it’s got cop tires, cop suspension, cop shocks, and it’s before catalytic converters, so it will run on regular gas”,
    Jake,,,”Fix the lighter”,,
    Blues Brothers was without question, one of my favorite movies of all time. I read, in 1980, the film destroyed 103 Dodge Monacos that the production company paid $400 a piece and reinforced the chassis. 13 Blues Brothers cars were used in the filming, and the scene showing the speedo at 118 mph was actually the speed during the chase.( with stunt driver, of course) While I think 145 is a bit much, they could still do an honest 120-130.
    The car itself here? Meh. As time fades, the Blues Brothers will fade too, and nobody in the future will connect the ’74 Dodge Monaco police car with one of the funniest movies made. What ever happened to movies like that? They’ve been replaced by super heroes disemboweling zombies, for some reason. Great find, and thanks for jogging another memory.
    Side note, did you know, the freeway scene with Henry Gibson flies off the edge in the PInto wagon? That was filmed in Milwaukee before the Hoan Bridge (I-794) was completed.

    Like 39
    • Avatar Jay L.

      “I hate Illinois NAZIs.”

      Like 11
  2. Avatar Bluetec320 Member

    Elwood: It’s 106 miles to Chicago, we got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it’s dark… and we’re wearing sunglasses.

    Jake: Hit it.

    Like 30
  3. Avatar Stevieg

    John Belushi was my comedic hero.
    I used to do stand up local, & plan on trying again (I’m too old for it to go anywhere now) once I relocate to Phoenix in 4 years. At this point if I could just meet Dan Aykroyd & shake his hand, that’ll do.
    The feature car is the deluxe Monaco, with hideaway headlights. The doors are open or missing, but this is not the cop car model. Doesn’t matter, it still honors one of my all time favorite movies too.
    Good luck to the seller. I don’t think he’ll get the $21,000, but I could be wrong.

    Like 11
  4. Avatar Mitchell G. Member

    But will I need to trade a Cadillac for a microphone to buy it?

    Like 6
  5. Avatar Mark

    Not even close as a replica of the Blues mobile…this car is a 75 Monoco Royal.
    On top of that the stencils used should have resulted in partial letters being displayed amongst faded ones. Push bar is also incorrect.
    My son created an exact replica.
    A regular Monoco is very difficult to find these days and go for good money.

    Like 7
  6. Avatar Troy s

    Great movie full of humor, good music, and of course lots of good car chases.
    “Elllllwooood!!” As the Dodge is spinning around in circles, that was too much! I think that was the mall scene,
    Neat old clapped out squad car that is close enough to fool many people, still yet, my favorite police “interceptor ” is the one from Dirty Mary Crazy Larry. The one with no lights or siren yet and the unlimited top end! Those 440 units really did have a heavy rep! Great post.

    Like 5
    • HoA Howard A Member

      I read, the mall scene was shot at the recently closed Dixie Square Mall in Harvey, Ill. in 1978. The film crew came in 1979, and as we saw, literally destroyed the mall and left without cleaning it up or repairing damage. The city of Harvey tried unsuccessfully to sue the production company, and the mall was torn down.
      My favorite line was Jake telling Carrie Fisher why he missed the wedding.

      Like 11
      • Avatar Paul

        Was that the only scene without his cool sunglasses on?

        Like 2
      • Avatar Troy s

        That was a good scene, Jake made every excuse known to man……staring down the barrel of an AR15! Thats interesting about the mall, Howard, never knew that. With so many great scenes I have a hard time picking just one without changing my mind,, maybe the country western bar that greeted them with a barrage of beer bottles, pegging it at nearly 120, or the final scene of the car…falling to pieces after the mission from God, I don’t know, I guess the entire movie!

        Like 1
      • HoA Howard A Member

        Yeah, Paul, that was the only time you saw Jake remove his sunglasses,,”Aw, Jake”, she says. He drops her in the mud, and Elwood, “nice meetin’ ya'”,,,”RAWHIDE”,,,the bar scene was pretty funny, but the motorhome, “Got a little problem, here”,,what ever happened to movies like that?

        Like 1
  7. Avatar Jack Quantrill

    That car is a living thing! More than the sum of it’s parts.

    Like 2
  8. Avatar Bryan

    As a teenager, my friend’s stepmother owned a former Washington state patrol car; a white 1974 or 75 Dodge Monaco. It still retained its dog dish hubcaps and speed-rated Blackwell tires (plus dual spot lights). My friend and I borrowed it a few times and had a blast. It was impressively powerful, and comfortable too!

    Like 4
  9. Avatar Jetfire88

    My first trip to Woodward Dream Cruise.
    I’m watching this amazing array of vehicles pass by 20 feet in front of me. It was easy to get jaded by the selection of stuff, Ferrari’s, Hot Rods, City Busses, Army tanks, etc.
    And then loud cheers were heard coming towards me down Woodward.
    What in the world could excite this crowd?
    Then it passes by…
    The Bluesmobile, speaker blaring (of course, with Jake and Elwood inside)!
    Everyone was on their feet as it passed, and all was right with the world at that moment.

    Like 14
  10. Avatar Howie Mueler

    We are on a mission from God.

    Like 9
  11. Avatar Ensign Pulver

    I’m not sticker for originality ….except…when it comes to Blues Mobile. I actually saw a 73 Fury yesterday with the speaker on the roof…and it just wasn’t right. There was a guy on TV that got right down to the cigaret pack on the dash and you have to appreciate that level of dedication.

    Like 4
    • Avatar Scott C Williams

      I’m kind of a stickler when it comes to Bluesmobile replicas, too.
      Partly because I have vivid memories of these cars cruising around my hometown in the mid-70s.

      (yes, I grew up in Mt. Prospect, and that is really what the cops drove at the time)

      Like 1
  12. Avatar JoeNYWF64

    Can i assume cops today would not mind “to serve & protect” & some other city’s bygone police star medallion left on an old police car driving around in their town?
    Tho, as a civilan citizen, i don’t think i would want to serve or protect any stranger if i owned this car.
    lol

    Like 2
  13. Avatar Frank of Eden

    The “old timers” on our local police force used to tell us younger officers (understand I joined the force just after these cars had been “put out to pasture”)… “If you ever got into a fight, needed help and requested assistance, things could be looking dim. You’d be rolling in the dirt thinking your might die. Then when you heard those mighty engines roaring, you knew… all you had to do was hang on… because help was on the way”. They said you could hear the “breathers, and exhaust” sounds a mile away, and it was the most reassuring sound you could ever imagine. “Hold on I’m Coming”! Our little city didn’t have many fights and other bad stuff going on but when it happened… it HAPPENED! They had great stories about those cars.

    Like 1
  14. Avatar Harry

    I hate these replicas. At first (40 years ago) it was fun to see one, but nowdays it is shame to see, that even quite decent cars ate downgraded to blues-mobiles, even royal Monacos, like this.
    I live in country where we have about 20 1974-1976 monacos and i bet that 17 of them are blues-replicas and people in those cars aint in the mission of god!

    Like 0
  15. Avatar t-bone BOB

    Ended: Sep 10, 2021 , 8:15AM
    Winning bid:US $17,200.00
    [ 38 bids ]

    Located in:Ashdown, Arkansas

    Like 0

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