“Monaco & the Motor Car”: 130 Years of Automotive History at the Grimaldi Forum
The Grimaldi Forum Monaco’s major summer exhibition, “Monaco & the Motor Car, from 1893 to the Present Day,” offers an immersive journey through more than 130 years of automotive history in the Principality. Running until 6 September 2026, the exhibition brings together exceptional cars, rare archives and technological innovations across more than 3,500 square metres.
Few places in the world share such an enduring relationship with the motor car as Monaco. From the elegance competitions of the late 19th century to the legendary Monte-Carlo Rally and Monaco Grand Prix, the automobile has long been woven into the Principality’s identity.
The Grimaldi Forum’s major summer exhibition explores this remarkable relationship through more than 50 authentic vehicles, each with a connection to Monaco. Together, they tell a story shaped by elegance, innovation, sporting performance, prestige and collective memory.
From the First Automobiles to the Monaco Grand Prix
The exhibition returns to the origins of Monaco’s fascination with motoring, beginning with the concours d’élégance of the late 19th century before exploring the birth of the Monte-Carlo Rally in 1911 and the first Monaco Grand Prix in 1929.
With the support of the Automobile Club de Monaco, visitors can discover exceptional and, in some cases, previously unseen archival material. Historic documents, photographs and videos complement the cars on display, bringing to life some of the defining moments in Monaco’s automotive history.
From Grace Kelly to Charles Leclerc
Among the exhibition’s most remarkable pieces is the Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith associated with the 1956 wedding of Prince Rainier III and Grace Kelly. The historic automobile has been loaned by an American collector who has owned it for more than four decades.
Motorsport naturally occupies a central place in the exhibition. Rally cars and Grand Prix single-seaters sit alongside a Venturi Formula E car and a scale model of the famous Monaco circuit.
The exhibition also pays tribute to two generations of Monegasque racing talent: Louis Chiron, one of the Principality’s great early motorsport figures, and contemporary Formula 1 star Charles Leclerc.
From Monaco’s Roads to the Moon
The final section creates a striking dialogue between automotive heritage and the technologies of tomorrow.
Representing the past is a Panhard & Levassor that participated in the pioneering Paris–Nice race of 1893 and continued its journey to Monaco, during an era when the earliest experiments with tarmac roads were transforming mobility.
Facing it is a machine designed for an entirely different landscape: MONA LUNA, the lunar rover developed by Venturi Space and conceived to operate on the surface of the Moon around 2030.
The encounter between the two vehicles captures the ambition of the exhibition itself — tracing the extraordinary evolution of mobility from the earliest days of the automobile to the possibility of exploration beyond Earth.
Combining history, design, culture, sport and technology, “Monaco & the Motor Car, from 1893 to the Present Day” is designed to appeal not only to automotive enthusiasts but also to a wider audience interested in Monaco’s history and its longstanding fascination with innovation.
Practical Information
Monaco & the Motor Car, from 1893 to the Present Day
Grimaldi Forum Monaco
Until 6 September 2026
Open daily from 10:00 to 20:00, with late-night opening on Thursdays until 22:00.
Exceptional closure on 22 August.
Admission is free for visitors under 18.
Audio guides are available in French, English and Italian. Public and private guided tours are also available, alongside exclusive evening visits after the exhibition has closed to the public.