The Dynasty is a model line of Monaco, the American recreational vehicle brand that began in 1968 building pickup campers and has concentrated since then on large motorhomes. The Monaco range today consists of Class A diesel coaches made in Decatur, Indiana.
Monaco Dynasty at a glance
| Make | Monaco |
|---|---|
| Model | Dynasty |
| Type | Class A diesel motorhome |
| Manufacturer | Monaco Coach Corporation |
| Country of manufacture | United States |
| Plant | Decatur, Indiana |
| Origins | Caribou Manufacturing Company, 1968 |
| Renamed | Monaco Coach Corporation, 1977 |
| Group | REV Recreation Group |
| Sister brand | Holiday Rambler |
There is no dedicated Wikipedia article for the Dynasty; the page is based on one source, the English Wikipedia article on Monaco Coach Corporation, and keeps to what that article says about the maker and its range.
History of the Monaco Dynasty
A name from the camper years
Monaco was incorporated in 1968 as the Caribou Manufacturing Company by Ray Mehaffey and started out building pickup campers. Its most popular line was called «Monaco», and in 1977 that name replaced the original company name. The Dynasty is one of the lines that carried the Monaco badge after the company had moved from campers to complete motorhomes.
Seven brands in one company
The company bought the Roadmaster Chassis Division of Chrysler in 1984 and the Holiday Rambler Division of Harley-Davidson in 1996, and at its peak it manufactured seven brands of motorhomes and RVs: Monaco, Beaver, Safari, McKenzie, Holiday Rambler, R-Vision and Roadmaster Chassis. In 1994 Monaco moved its Junction City operations to the Coburg Industrial Park in Eugene, Oregon. By 2005 sales were about US$1.2 billion with nearly 5,400 employees.
From bankruptcy to REV
Monaco filed for Chapter 11 on 5 March 2009; the case was converted to Chapter 7 in June, and Navistar International bought the factories, inventory, brands and intellectual property for $47 million, renaming the business Monaco RV LLC. In 2013 Navistar sold Monaco to Allied Specialty Vehicles. Allied Recreation Group was created that year after the acquisition of Monaco and Holiday Rambler, and in 2015 it became REV Group, which still owns the Monaco brand.
Design and features
- Diesel Class A coach: the Dynasty sits in Monaco’s portfolio of Class A diesel motorhomes.
- Built in Indiana: production is centred on Decatur, Indiana, where the group also runs a service centre.
- Holiday Rambler connection: since 1996 the brand has been produced alongside Holiday Rambler under the same ownership.
- Survived the 2009 bankruptcy: the Monaco name continued under Navistar and then under REV Group.
Monaco Dynasty versions
- Monaco Dynasty: the line described here.
- Monaco Cayman: another line in the same range.
- Monaco Signature: a further Monaco model.
- Holiday Rambler coaches: sister products built by the same group.
See also the Monaco Cayman and Monaco Signature, and the rest of the Monaco collection.
Sources
- Monaco Coach Corporation, English Wikipedia: company history, brands, ownership
