Up-close with the Prince of Monaco’s Royal Auto Collection
Many cities and countries have automobile museums. The Principality of Monaco has a collection—a collection of cars first begun in the 1950s by the late Prince Rainier III and continued by his son Prince Albert II.
Prince Rainier kept his cars at the Royal Palace, but his collection soon grew too big for the space and was moved to a public location in 1993. In a city-state that’s synonymous with motor racing, this display of distinctive cars is a must-see for visiting petrolheads.There are limos and luxury cars with direct ties to the Monaco royal family, like this 1956 Rolls Royce Silver Cloud, a wedding present from the merchants of Monaco to Prince Rainier and his bride, American actress Grace Kelly. But here at Sports Car Digest, it’s all about the sports cars in the royal collection.Formula 1 cars are featured front-and-center, including this 2019 Red Bull team car driven by both Max Verstappen and Pierre Gasly.
This is the car, a McLaren MP4-20, that Kimi Raikonnen drove to victory at Monaco in 2005.
Monaco resident Nico Rosberg’s Mercedes W06—the car he drove to victory in Monaco in 2015—is featured in the royal collection.
Back when Lamborghini still competed in F1, Nicola Larini piloted this 1991 Lambo 291 for the Modena-based Italian team.
There is beauty beyond the F1 cars. This 1967 Brabham Formula 3 car, driven by German racer Kurt Ahrens, Jr., won the ’67 European F3 championship.
At the far end of the sports car spectrum is this 1959 Fiat “Jolly” 600, a topless version of the classic Fiat Cinquecento. That’s Prince Albert in the lower left of the photo with Princess Grace, Prince Rainier, and sister Princess Caroline.
This 1952 Nash-Healey, with a body by Pinin Farina over a Nash engine, transmission, and differential, is one of only 506 production models of this classic roadster.
This front-opening 1960 BMW Isetta was wedged into a corner of the collection, making it exceedingly difficult to get a full-on photo.
On the vast spectrum of sports cars between the Isetta and the modern-day F1 machines lie some of the most interesting autos in the Monaco collection.
Best known as a championship rally car, this 1971 Renault Alpine A110 is often thought of as a French version of the classic Porsche 911.
Every car collection within sight of the border should have a few iconic Italian autos. This 1962 Alfa Romeo Giulia 1600 Spider Tipo 10123 is nearly perfect.
Can you picture yourself in the cockpit of this 12-cylinder masterpiece, a 1963 Ferrari 250 Cabriolet? OK, first become a royal prince of Monaco—then pony up a few million dollars.
What’s even better than a red Ferrari? How about a helmet belonging to Ayrton Sennafrom his 1991 F1 championship-winning season?
There’s more information on the car collection of HSH the Prince of Monaco here: www.mtcc.mc/en/
The Fiat Jolly is based in the 600, not in the 500