The Prince of Monaco’s car collection: discover some automobile legends

In Monaco, the Prince’s Car Collection includes some legendary models from the history of the automobile.

Prince Rainier III was a car enthusiast and, from the late 1950s, built up a significant collection of classic cars. Over more than 40 years, he amassed around a hundred vehicles, a truly representative selection of models by some of the most renowned manufacturers in the United States and Europe.

Eventually, as more cars joined the collection, the garage at the Prince’s Palace became too small to house them all, so in 1993, Prince Rainier III decided to open up his treasures to the public.

Located on the Port Hercule, H.S.H. the Prince of Monaco’s Car Collection features some legendary examples of automobile history. Exquisite cars that have competed in concours d’élégance show events, gleaming vehicles from Rolls Royce, Lincoln, Ferrari, Maserati and Lamborghini, race cars that have made their mark in the Rallye de Monte-Carlo and Monaco Grand Prix over the years…

The numerous Formula 1 vehicles represent various eras: from single-seaters dating back to the 1980s and 1990s, to Mercedes and Red Bull cars running on the current V6 hybrid turbos, not to mention the McLaren and other Renault cars from the 2000s.

The Prince’s Car Collection regularly hosts temporary exhibitions.

In 2019, the Ferrari exhibition brought together more than 50 extraordinary cars from the Maranello manufacturer, including the Ferrari 250 GTO from 1962 (only 36 cars of this model were produced!) and the 512S from the film Le Mans, starring Steve McQueen. Early 2020 saw an exhibition of 50 rally-winning vehicles from all eras.

In 2023, the site hosted legendary Porsches as well as an Aston Martin exhibition. In particular the DB5 Goldfinger, a reproduction of 25 copies of James Bond’s car equipped with submachine guns, a smoke diffuser or even a bulletproof shield at the rear…