Monaco & l'Automobile reveals itself in a new light with its enhanced press kit

In the summer of 2026, the Grimaldi Forum Monaco is devoting an exceptional exhibition to more than 130 years of the Principality's relationship with the automobile.

With Monaco & the Automobile, from 1893 to the present day, 55 emblematic vehicles retrace this unique history, from the beginnings of the automobile to the most contemporary technologies. From the end of the 19th century, Monaco established itself as a pioneering territory, both a laboratory for innovation - with the first experiments with tarmac roads in particular - and a place of international renown, through the early organisation of motoring events.

Over the years, the Principality has become a unique setting where the automobile has been expressed in all its forms: elegance, with the concours d'élégance organised around the Casino since 1897; endurance, with the Monte-Carlo Rally created in 1911; performance, with the Monaco Grand Prix held in the city since 1929.

The exhibition brings together nearly 20 cars from the Monte-Carlo Rally and some thirty Grand Prix single-seaters, including some of the most iconic cars in history.

These include the Bugatti 35B, which won the Monaco Grand Prix for the first time in 1929, and Charles Leclerc's Ferrari, which won in 2024, alongside legendary Rallye Monte-Carlo models such as the Mini Cooper S, which won in 1964, and the Lancia Stratos HF, which won in 1977.

Also on display are the Panhard & Levassor type P2D, currently the world's oldest petrol-powered car in working order, which came to Monaco in 1893, and the Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith from the wedding of Prince Rainier III and Grace Kelly in 1956. Brought together thanks to contributions from international lenders, these cars are all authentic models, having competed in - and often won - Monaco's major events.

Never before has an ensemble of such quality and historical density been brought together in a single exhibition.

The exhibition is also open to contemporary issues, with the presence of a Formula E single-seater, demonstrating the new technological and energy directions in motor sport, and Venturi Space's MONA LUNA rover, designed to travel to the south pole of the Moon by 2030.

Spread over an area of more than 3,500 sq. metres, the exhibition offers an immersive journey combining cars, objects, images and scenographic devices, enabling visitors to relive the great hours of Monegasque motor sport.

Initially scheduled for 2020 and postponed due to the pandemic, the exhibition will finally be held in 2026 and promises to be one of the major cultural events of the season. The exhibition is curated by Rodolphe Rapetti, General Curator of Heritage, art historian and automotive specialist.

He is notably responsible for the exhibition The Art of the Automobile - Masterpieces from the Ralph Lauren Collection, which attracted more than 150,000 visitors to Paris in 2011.