During the weekend of the Monaco Historic Grand Prix on 25th and 26th April, the Principality played host to two significant car auctions: the Bonhams Monaco Sale and the RM Sotheby’s Monaco Auction, as well as a special event featuring 22 Formula One Ferraris. The atmosphere of vintage race cars amid thousands of enthusiastic car lovers made this the ideal opportunity to bring together some stunning and very special automobiles.

More than most places, Monaco has an undeniable connection to the world of beautiful cars and motor racing, and these events – held during the Historic Grand Prix – were a chance to display some of the finest examples of rare cars you’re ever likely to see. 

The RM Sotheby’s sale featured several special Ferrari’s: a track-only FXX-EVO that sold for €5.18 million, two red F40s, a LaFerrari in Kermitt the Frog green (€5.06 million), a 1965 Ferrari 275 GTB/4 (€2.36 million), a silver Enzo (€6.53 million), a red Daytona and a black 1961 250 GT California that topped the auction when it sold for €16.6 million, to mention just a few. Any one of these cars could have been the star of the show.

Not to be outdone, Lamborghini was represented by that poster child of the 1980s, the Countach, as well as the modern day icon that is the Essenza SCV12 (one of just 40 track examples) and a classic 1964 350 GT – the first Lamborghini that wasn’t a tractor.

A lovely 1955 Aston Martin DB3S sold for €3.38 million, whilst Gildo Pastor’s four-door four-seater Bugatti EB112 went for €1.69 million. Several items of memorabilia belonging to the legendary racing driver Juan Manuel Fangio sold for a total of €763,560 and a prop of the underwater Lotus Esprit from ‘The Spy Who Loved Me’ James Bond film blew past its estimated value to fetch €852,000. Anyone in the market for something special to add to their collection would be spoilt for choice in this auction.

The range of cars for sale is quite varied, as a recent trend is to include more modern supercars. They might not necessarily be old, but they are highly sought after and appeal to a younger clientele. The RM Sotheby’s auction included a Bugatti Bolide, the most powerful car the marque has ever produced and which, in terms of styling and performance, is only rivalled by the aforementioned Ferrari FXX-EVO that was originally sold to just a few select clients.

These are the kind of hypercars that only come up for sale very rarely and collectors know that there won’t be many opportunities to get their hands on one. 

For something quirky, you had to attend the Bonham’s auction at the Fairmont Hotel. The Volkswagen XL1 is a futuristic plug-in hybrid from 2011 that was designed to take fuel efficiency to the extreme, it’s another of those cars that causes most people to ask ‘What on earth is that?’, because it’s like nothing else. The same could be said for the 1966 Volkswagen Beetle Beach Car that has woven rope seats, the elegant 1967 Citroen DS21 Cabriolet or the ugly duckling Lamborghini LM002 (one of only 328 made, some of which were intended to be sold to the US Army).

Bonhams had something for everyone. Fans of classic touring cars could pick from a range of DTM legends that included a Ford Sierra Cosworth, an Alfa Romeo 155 in Martini livery and a works BMW M3 E30. Rally enthusiasts were offered a choice of Group B Audi Quattros, one of which was driven by Hannu Mikkola with great success, and supercar lovers could bid for a Lamborghini Aventador SVJ in ‘Giallo Orion’ yellow or one of only 63 Lamborghini Sians ever produced that went under the hammer for €2.01 million. 

Ferrari fans could pick up some very collectible memorabilia, such as an original illuminated dealership sign, a promotional flag signed by 23 Formula One drivers (including Michael Schumacher) or a table made from an original Dino V6 engine.

However, the star of the show for connoisseurs of historic motor racing must surely be the 1958 Lotus 16 Formula 1 car that was driven by none other than five-time winner of the Monaco Grand Prix, Graham Hill, and which sold for €483,000.

Over at the Monaco Yacht Club, a different kind of unique motoring event was taking place. In conjunction with the Automobile Club de Monaco (ACM), the Cavallino Classic Monaco showcased 22 Ferrari Formula One cars, all lined up in a row along the quayside ready to be judged in a Concours d’Elegance. For once, the superyachts in the harbour were upstaged by the spectacular sight of a row of Ferrari-red paint and yellow prancing horse badges decorating some of the most important cars from the Italian marque’s racing history. 

These single-seaters ranged from Jacky Ickx’s 1968 312 F1-68 to Fernando Alonso’s 2010 F10 and provided the opportunity for guests to see how much aerodynamics and technology have advanced over the years. They even set a new Guinness world record, for the most Ferrari Formula 1 cars ever seen on track at the same time, as 12 cars drove in procession around the circuit.

These events add an enjoyable and glamorous element to the sound and sights of the Grand Prix de Monaco Historique races. There is nowhere else where can you see, or even buy, so many beautiful, rare and special cars in one place whilst soaking up the atmosphere as genuine historic racing cars do battle in the streets. In this respect, Monaco’s Historic Grand Prix weekend has secured its place as one of the top destinations in the world for car lovers. 

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All photos credit: Richard McCreery