Published: 10 April 2026
There are very few places on earth where the theatre of speed and the theatre of wealth converge quite so completely as Monaco. Every spring, the principality transforms itself into a spectacle that is both exclusive and outsized — its narrow streets lined with the roar of historic racing cars, its harbourfront glittering with yachts, its squares buzzing with the sort of cosmopolitan energy that money alone cannot offer. RM Sotheby's has long understood that this backdrop is the ideal setting for one of its most ambitious European auctions of the year.
Returning to the Grimaldi Forum for the eighth time on 24–25 April 2026 — timed, as ever, to coincide with the Grand Prix de Monaco Historique — RM Sotheby's has organised a sale that speaks to collectors across disciplines. Racing enthusiasts and those simply drawn to beautiful objects with fascinating stories will all find something for them. Read on to discover three lots that exemplify the moment that is to be this sale and this setting.
A Legend in Blue: The 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider by Scaglietti
Few automobiles in history carry the kind of weight that a Ferrari 250 GT California Spider does when it enters a room. It is a car that was designed to be desired — long before the term "collector's car" existed. Proportionally perfect, mechanically formidable, and built in small batches, it remains one of the most celebrated open GT models ever to emerge from Maranello.
The example offered here, chassis number 2955 GT, is the 26th of just 56 short-wheelbase examples ever produced, and its journey is as distinguished as its pedigree. Completed in September 1961, it was delivered directly to Auto Becker — Ferrari's celebrated German importer in Düsseldorf — who immediately placed it on their stand at that year's IAA Frankfurt Motor Show, establishing from the outset its identity as a car of national significance. Within months it had passed to its first private owner in Rome, where it received early service at the Ferrari factory itself.
Its subsequent journey through American and European hands reads like a cultural travelogue. It passed through the collection of Ken Mars — the beloved character actor who appeared in What's Up Doc? and Mel Brooks' Young Frankenstein — who retained the car for over three decades of devoted stewardship. After crossing back to Europe, it eventually found its way to a Frankfurt-based collector of considerable distinction before passing to its current custodian, who commissioned an extensive refurbishment by Dino Cognolato's respected Vigonza atelier. The result — a refinish in Blu Scuro over rosso leather, accompanied by a silver hardtop — is nothing short of stunning. The car was exhibited at the 2022 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance shortly after its completion, a showcase to equal any prestigious certificate.
Estimated at €14,500,000 – €16,500,000, the lot comes with impeccable certifications. A Ferrari Classiche "Red Book" confirms matching-numbers engine, gearbox, rear axle, and coachwork. A full history report by marque expert Marcel Massini accompanies the car, along with its original German documentation. Displaying only 2,447 post-restoration kilometres, this is a California Spider in exceptional, ready-for-anything condition.
The Spirit of the Riviera: A 1971 Fiat 500 Jolly Conversion
Not every great motorcar needs to carry the weight of serious money. Some of the most joyful objects in the collector car world are those that exist purely to delight — and there is nothing that communicates the pleasure of Mediterranean summer more immediately than a Fiat 500 Jolly.
The original 500 Jolly was a commission born of a famously exuberant imagination: Gianni Agnelli, industrialist and patron of all things stylish, asked Ghia to build him a car small enough to fit aboard his yacht and spirited enough to shuttle guests between the water's edge and the nearest hotel lobby. The result, with its open body, wicker seats, and removable canopy roof, became one of the most iconic beach vehicles of the post-war era — a fixture of sun-drenched resorts from Portofino to Monaco itself.
The example offered here began its life as a 1971 Fiat 500 F/L built at Fiat's Termini Imerese plant in Sicily. Converted to its current Jolly configuration in 2025 and finished in crisp white, it made its public debut at FuoriConcorso on the shores of Lake Como — arriving in fine company and making an immediate impression. It retains the characteristic wicker seating and removable canopy that define the type, and it carries a Palermo registration that connects it directly to its Sicilian origins.
Offered without reserve at an estimate of €30,000 – €40,000, it is the sort of acquisition that sensible collectors make and never regret. It is a conversation piece as much as a motorcar, and one that would be as much at home in Monaco's lanes during Grand Prix week as on any coast road that follows the Mediterranean light.
Yellow is a Racing Colour: The 1970 Alpine-Renault A110 1300 G
Long before the Alpine marque became synonymous with prime French engineering, it was a true competitive force at the highest levels of international rallying. The A110 — light, nimble, and famously rear-engined — remains one of the defining rally cars of its era, and the example offered at the Monaco auction boasts an authentic competition history that sets it apart from the field.
Built in 1970 and thought to have left the factory in Jaune Rédélé — a distinctive shade of yellow named for Alpine founder Jean Rédélé, and rarely seen today — this A110 was specified with the optional front-mounted radiator and additional central fuel tank, factory-fit extras that speak to a serious campaigning brief. Supplied initially as a demonstrator for the Cros de Cagne dealership, it was sold to amateur rally driver Francis Orlandini of Nice, who entered it with the Écurie Jean Behra team in period events across southern France and beyond.
Orlandini's results paint a vivid picture of the car's early life: a debut on the Col de Caussols hillclimb; an eighth-place finish in the Critérium 83 rally; a second-place result in the Junior Monte Carlo Rally from 65 competitors; and a campaign in the final edition of the Coupe des Alpes, from which retirement came only after an accident on the opening stage. These were not exhibition laps — this car was raced with commitment, in its prime, in the mountains that Alpine was built to conquer.
Accompanied by a history report from Alpine marque historian Gilles Valerian, copies of original entry forms, and period photography, the A110 then passed through French custodians before undergoing a thorough restoration by its previous owner. The polyester bodywork was replaced, the chassis and tub retained, and the car returned to its original striking shade of Jaune Rédélé. It is offered without reserve at an estimate of €80,000 – €120,000.
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