Prince Albert II in Mulhouse: the Grimaldi passion for motoring honoured in an exhibition full of memories
The 1929 Napoleon coupé Bugatti is one of the most popular cars on display at the Musée National de l'Automobile © Axel Bastello / Prince’s Palace
Cars are a family affair according to the Prince, “a passion of my father’s, Prince Rainier III, which he passed on to my sisters and myself’.”
Goodbye Strasbourg, hello Mulhouse! Prince Albert II was at the Council of Europe in Strasbourg earlier this week. He took advantage of his trip to Alsace to pay a visit to the Musée National de l’Automobile (French National Automobile Museum) in Mulhouse, where there is a temporary exhibition entitled ‘From Monaco to Mulhouse: The Prince Albert II Collection’.
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The Sovereign was able to tour the exhibition, which is open until 3 November, in which around twenty cars from his personal collection are on display, including the Lexus LS 600h hybrid that was used in Prince Albert II and Princess Charlène’s wedding parade.
The aim of the exhibition is to represent a century of Monaco’s history through the love of cars shared by Prince Rainier III and his son Prince Albert II. From the first official cars, which arrived in 1904, to the sports cars that the Principality knows so well from the Grand Prix, and cars used by the Princely Family members including, for example, one of the first vehicles driven by Prince Albert II: the 1971 Lotus Seven IV.
An anecdote by the Prince
One car holds a special place in the Sovereign’s heart: the Renault Floride. ‘It brings back happy memories from my childhood. In the summer of 1976, Princess Grace let Caroline and I borrow it to go to a party at a friend’s house. On the way back to our property at Roc Agel in the evening, we broke down. We found ourselves in the middle of nowhere, without a phone of course. We had to walk into town and eventually found somewhere to call from. The Floride made a beautiful noise, except when it broke down…”
