Ten Out of Ten for Top Marques Monaco

The iconic French Riviera, beautiful summer weather, exclusive super cars, world class classics and a royal connection to boot. Top Marques Monaco really did pull out all the stops, providing us with a glimpse of pure petrolhead heaven at the Grimaldi Forum, right on the seafront of this stunning sovereign city-state.

You couldn’t ask for a better venue or setting for an event that has quickly (and quite rightly) become known as the most exclusive car show in the world. It truly is a show like no other and as official partner Car & Classic was there to soak up the atmosphere and get in amongst all of the incredible machinery that was on display, from supercars and classic cars to motorbikes and transport innovations, so join us as we take a look at how Top Marques Monaco unfolded.

Friday night was the avant-première which gave us access to the show before the doors opened to the public on Saturday morning and it was nothing short of breathtaking from the moment we arrived and we were immediately greeted by a brand new Ferrari Roma on display in the courtyard.

Also taking pride of place outside the event was a Frauscher superboat and Brabus’ exclusive 1300R luxury naked motorbike, and if the intention of these three stunning machines was to suitably whet our appetite for whatever treasures awaited us inside then they certainly did their job and we were chomping at the bit to discover everything that Top Marques Monaco had to offer.

One can’t help but sashay into an event like Top Marques Monaco and after being carried down the escalators to the inner sanctum of the Grimaldi Forum the sheer size and grandiose scope of what was on show became instantly apparent, with Boutsen Classic cars displaying prominently just inside the entrance.

It was lovely to catch up with Thierry himself after having interviewed the Formula One legend for our Ten Questions series and to see our carefully curated Top Marques Monaco magazine proudly displayed and open on the feature page was a nice touch. Available to VIPs the limited edition magazine is quite the collector’s piece itself!

It wasn’t just Boutsen Classic Cars that was operating in the downstairs hall, however. This is the second year that a dedicated classic car space has been displayed at Top Marques Monaco and the entire area was devoted to vintage vehicles of all shapes and sizes from the ’30s to the ’90s with each and every car being for sale, should you have deep enough pockets of course. But even if the price tags were a little lofty for some it was still a wonderfully eclectic mix of classic metal to pore over and unlike other prestigious car shows we were able to get up close and personal with every single one of them.

From the XJ220 at the Boutsen Classic Cars stand alongside an all-electric Alfa with over 600bhp costing a cool half million (creators Totem Automobili do an ICE version too), to Michael Schumacher’s winning Benetton 192-5 F1 car and an awe-inspiring 1931 Bugatti Royale Esders there really was something for everyone. And this was just the first room!

Travelling to the upper level past various Porsches, American muscle cars and two wonderfully Italian stands; DB Design scooters and classic Fiat 500 specialists Spitalieri Auto, we made our way to the main supercar hall.

To see so many prestigious and innovative supercar brands standing side-by-side together in one place was quite an unforgettable experience and a little overwhelming to tell the truth. The term ‘kid in a sweet shop’ would be an accurate description as to how we felt upon cresting the escalator to the first floor and it was difficult to know what to look at first, but as far as problems go this is a pretty easy one to have to deal with, let’s be honest.

There were the usual suspects of course, and by that we mean the names you would expect to see at such an event; Koenigsegg, Bentley, Ferrari and all of the other top-tier manufacturers were representing but then there were also the lesser-known, more niche and arguably more interesting brands and vehicles vying for people’s attention.

Greeting fans at the entrance was the FLEX electric rover. This vehicle – built by Venturi Astrolab – will be the largest, most powerful lunar vehicle in history and will be hitching a ride to the Moon in 2026 aboard SpaceX’s Starship. Bugatti, along with the aforementioned Type 41 downstairs, was displaying one of only ten Centodiecis ever made. A tribute to the legendary EB110 and fitted with an 8.0-litre quad-turbo W16 engine capable of propelling this beautiful beast to 60mph from parked in less than two-and-a-half-seconds it was certainly a sight to behold.

Audi was on hand to unveil its RS 6 GTO concept to the public for the first time which pays tribute to more than 40 years of quattro technology, alongside a handful of other world premieres that took place at the event this year. Based on the Audi 90 quattro IMSA GTO of the 1990s the RS6 GTO is very much built for the future.

Speaking of the future it’s always interesting to see the latest innovations and Top Marques Monaco certainly delivered on that front. Juxtaposed against the classic car hall were a number of incredibly forward thinking machines. The MC One – an electric flying car and the MH2, a hydrogen-powered, zero emissions hypercar by the Matador Group in partnership with the Technical University of Kosice in Solvakia were two such highlights.

For those who prefer more of a two-wheel tickle to their automotive pickle there were plenty of bikes to behold and the custom motorcycles from L’Atelier du Gentleman were particularly tasty.

There was even a 300bhp, turbocharged jetski! Or “marine hypercraft” as the Burrasca from Austrian firm Belassi is formally known. Alongside the various classic and modern machinery were the lifestyle, watch and jewellery stands, including Tino et Tino, Boule Monte Carlo, Wil Le Cher and Rebellion Timepieces, providing some classy accompaniment to an already incredibly alluring collection of metal.

Seeing as how Top Marques Monaco is under the high patronage of His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco it was only natural that the man himself should pop along to take in the sights and sounds. Being a huge petrolhead with his very own collection open to the public a little further down the coast in the La Condamine district of Monaco he clearly enjoyed his time at the event, meeting and greeting the various exhibitors and generally having a grand old time.

The aim of the Top Marques Monaco event is very much to create an all-round experience for those visiting and with more than 100 exhibitors and 150 supercars, classic cars, motorbikes, super boats, watches, and jewellery, all for sale, along with refined catering and even LEGO workshops for kids to build their very own classic and supercars, that truly is an ethos that shone through. With more and more sales events heading online it’s refreshing to still see shindigs like this where one can actually interact with the cars on display as well as the people involved. Our photographs certainly don’t do the event justice so you’ll just have to take our word for it and join us for the next edition! And yes, we did drive the F1 track. Rude not to, really.