The Cayman is one of the motorhome lines sold under the Monaco name, the American recreational vehicle brand that began life in 1968 as the Caribou Manufacturing Company. Monaco builds Class A diesel motorhomes and is today wholly owned by REV Recreation Group.
Monaco Cayman at a glance
| Make | Monaco |
|---|---|
| Type | Class A diesel motorhome |
| Maker | Monaco Coach Corporation |
| Country | United States |
| Current production | Decatur, Indiana |
| Brand founded | 1968, as Caribou Manufacturing Company |
| Name since | 1977, Monaco Coach Corporation |
| Owner | REV Recreation Group (REV Group) |
| Former owner | Navistar International, 2009–2013 |
| Brands under Monaco | Monaco, Holiday Rambler, Beaver, Safari, McKenzie, R-Vision, Roadmaster |
The Cayman has no article of its own on Wikipedia; this page is based on one source, the English Wikipedia article on Monaco Coach Corporation, and describes the model only as part of that company’s range.
History of the Monaco Cayman
The company behind the Cayman
Monaco was incorporated in 1968 as the Caribou Manufacturing Company by Ray Mehaffey. The firm began by building pickup campers, and its most popular line carried the name «Monaco». In 1977 the company took that name for itself and became Monaco Coach Corporation, the name under which the Cayman and the rest of the range have been sold.
Growth through acquisition
Monaco bought the Roadmaster Chassis Division of Chrysler Corporation in 1984 and, in 1996, the Holiday Rambler Division of Harley-Davidson. The Holiday Rambler deal was worth $21.5 million in cash plus redeemable preferred stock that was later converted into 230,767 common shares, with most of Holiday Rambler’s liabilities assumed; ten Holiday World dealerships were bought at the same time for $13.0 million. By 2005 Monaco had sales of about US$1.2 billion and nearly 5,400 employees, and it manufactured seven brands of motorhomes and RVs.
Bankruptcy and new owners
Monaco filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on 5 March 2009. In June 2009 Navistar International bought the core assets — factories, inventory, brands and intellectual property — for $47 million, and the company became Monaco RV LLC. Navistar sold it in 2013 to Allied Specialty Vehicles as part of a restructuring; Allied Recreation Group was formed that year after the acquisition of Monaco and Holiday Rambler, and the name was changed to REV Group in 2015. Monaco Coach continues as a division of REV.
Design and features
- Class A diesel layout: the Cayman belongs to Monaco’s portfolio of Class A diesel motorhomes.
- American-built: Monaco coaches are manufactured in Decatur, Indiana.
- Long-running brand: the Monaco name has been in use since the 1960s, first as a model line and from 1977 as the company name.
- Part of a group: the brand now sits alongside Holiday Rambler, Fleetwood RV, American Coach and Trek under REV Recreation Group.
Monaco Cayman versions
- Monaco Cayman: the model line described on this page.
- Other Monaco lines: the brand’s range also includes the Dynasty and the Signature.
- Holiday Rambler: the sister brand acquired in 1996 and now built by the same group.
- Roadmaster chassis: the chassis division bought from Chrysler in 1984.
Other Monaco models are described in the Monaco Dynasty and Monaco Signature articles. More motorhomes are in the Monaco collection.
Video: 2011 Monaco RV Cayman
Video by MHSRV.com on YouTube.
Sources
- Monaco Coach Corporation, English Wikipedia: company history, ownership, brand portfolio
