The Grimaldi Forum Monaco has opened a new exhibition that explores the Principality’s 130-year relationship with the motor car.
Spanning the earliest motor cars to the latest space exploration machines, Monaco & the Automobile showcases more than 50 vehicles that tell the story of Monaco’s motoring history. The exhibition runs until 6 September 2026.
Unsurprisingly, the Monaco Grand Prix and Monte Carlo Rally feature heavily. On the Grand Prix side, highlights include the Bugatti Type 35B that William Grover-Williams drove to victory in the very first Monaco Grand Prix in 1929, Ayrton Senna’s 1993-winning McLaren MP4/8, and the Ferrari Formula 1 car that Charles Leclerc took to an emotional home win in 2024.
The rally contingent is just as strong, from the Mini Cooper S and Lancia Stratos HF that won in 1964 and 1977 respectively to the Group B-era Peugeot 205 T16 in which Ari Vatanen won the 1985 event.
Away from the competition cars, the exhibition features what’s believed to be the world’s oldest running petrol car – a Panhard & Levassor Type P2D – which arrived in Monaco in 1893. The venerable machine is complemented by the Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith that served as the wedding car for Prince Rainier III and Grace Kelly in 1956.
The relentless progress of automotive engineering is expressed by a Venturi Formula E racing car and the Venturi Space ‘MONA LUNA’ rover, designed to operate at the Moon’s South Pole by 2030.
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