Monaco, Petrol & Provenance - The Exhibition of the Summer

Julian from Classic Riviera here.

There are places that host motoring events, and then there are places that shaped motoring mythology. Monaco belongs firmly in the latter category.

This summer, the Grimaldi Forum hosts what may well become one of the most important automotive exhibitions Monaco has ever seen: Monaco and the Automobile, from 1893 to Nowadays. Running from 1 July to 6 September 2026 at Grimaldi Forum Monaco, the exhibition brings together more than a century of motoring history under one roof.

The exhibition traces the Principality’s relationship with the automobile from the very earliest petrol-powered machines right through to modern Formula 1 machinery. Expect everything from pre-war elegance to Monte-Carlo Rally legends and championship-winning Grand Prix cars.

Among the headline cars reportedly featured are:

• The Bugatti 35B associated with the very first Monaco Grand Prix in 1929

• Rally-winning icons including the Mini Cooper S and Lancia Stratos HF

• Ayrton Senna’s McLaren MP4/8

• Charles Leclerc’s Monaco-winning Ferrari SF-24

• The 1893 Panhard & Levassor, believed to be the oldest running petrol car in the world

• Prince Rainier III and Grace Kelly’s Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith

That alone should tell you this exhibition is aiming considerably higher than the usual “cars in a hall” experience.

Why This Matters to Collectors

What makes a great collector car is rarely just performance.

It is provenance, story, and cultural relevance, and Monaco has an uncanny ability to amplify all three.

A Bugatti that raced Monaco is not merely a Bugatti. A Ferrari that won here becomes part of racing folklore. Even road cars associated with the Principality tend to carry an added layer of desirability that enthusiasts instinctively understand.

The exhibition leans heavily into this idea, presenting the automobile not simply as engineering, but as art, society and status. Curator Rodolphe Rapetti reportedly approaches the show with exactly this philosophy in mind.

Our Recommendation

As the automotive world races toward electrification, digitalisation and increasingly sanitised ownership experiences, exhibitions like this become more important. They preserve not merely the cars, but the emotion around them.

If you are already planning time on the Riviera this summer, make room for this.

Do not rush through it in forty minutes between lunch reservations.

Take your time with the details: the coachwork, the racing history, the craftsmanship, the sheer ambition of early motoring.

And perhaps most importantly, remember that many of the world’s truly great collector cars became great not because they were expensive, but because they were part of a story people never forgot.

Exhibition Details

The exhibition Monaco and the Automobile, from 1893 to Nowadays takes place at the Grimaldi Forum Monaco from 1 July to 6 September 2026. The show spans roughly 4,000 square metres and features more than 50 legendary vehicles alongside archive material from the Automobile Club de Monaco.

Insider tip from us

Presale tickets for 7.50€ are available until June 30th, making now the ideal time to plan your Riviera motoring escape.

For more information and tickets, visit Grimaldi Forum Monaco.