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Monaco Top Cars Collection
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© Centre de Presse de Monaco
An aficionado of cars, for over thirty years, Prince Rainier III built up his own personal collection of vintage cars, which he collected at various occasions and events, or with which he simply fell in love.
The Prince assembled and restored more than 85 vehicles, a wide range of models built by the best known European and American manufacturers that, due to a number of reasons, made their mark at the time.
Starting at the beginning of the century, and to name just a few, we can mention the 1903 De Dion Bouton, the first car the Prince ever bought; a 1911 Renault 12 HP 4 cylinder Torpedo, the oldest car of the collection; a 1913 Panhard Levasseur; a Ford T1924; a 1924 convertible Peugeot Quadrilette; a 1928 Lincoln; a 1929 convertible tracked Citroen Torpedo (which took part in the Croisière Jaune); a 1930 Ford A; a 1930 Chevrolet; a 1934 Hispano-Suiza (an exhibit at Bagatelle in September 1992); a 1934 Delage 1934; a 1935 Packard…
Also well worth seeing is a superb set of vehicles of which the name and shape are deeply rooted to the history of World War II: Jeep, Ford, Dodge, G.M.C – and of course the famous Citroen “front wheel drive”; the Renault 4HP; the Peugeot 203; the Citroen DS 19; the Traban… And it would be impossible to overlook the ”beautiful American cars” of the post-war period (1953 Cadillac; 1956 Chrysler; 1966 Buick Skylar) and some of the most prestigious models ever designed by Maserati, Jaguar, Mercedes and Rolls Royce.
Horse drawn carriages (saloon, calash, coupé…) with the monograms of Prince Charles III and Prince Albert I, Prince Louis II’s Ford “Hunting estate car”, the “Florida” and converted London cab in which Princess Grace used to travel, add a more “personal” touch to the Collection.
Overlooking the “Terrasses de Fontvieille” at the foot of the Rocher, the cars are exhibited in a specially equipped hall on five levels and are displayed in accordance with Prince Rainier’s wishes.
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