2003 Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder Gts, Power Top, Automatic on 2040-cars

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Drive like a prince: Join us for a walk through Monaco's car collection

Small, crowded, and a royal pain in the trunk lid to drive into during rush hour, Monaco sounds like an improbable location for a huge car museum. And yet, this tiny city-state has been closely linked to car culture for over a century. It hosts two major racing events every year, many of its residents would qualify for a frequent shopper card if Rolls-Royce issued one, and Prince Rainier III began assembling a collection of cars in the late 1950s. He opened his collection to the public in 1993 and the museum quickly turned into a popular tourist attraction. The collection continued to grow after his death in April 2005; it moved to a new facility located right on Hercules Port in July 2022. Monaco being Monaco, you'd expect to walk into a room full of the latest, shiniest, and most powerful supercars ever to shred a tire. That's not the case: while there is no shortage of high-horsepower machines, the first cars you see after paying ˆ10 (approximately $11) to get in are pre-war models. In that era, the template for the car as we know it in 2023 hadn't been created, so an eclectic assortment of expensive and dauntingly experimental machines roamed whatever roads were available to them. One is the Leyat Helica, which was built in France in 1921 with a 1.2-liter air-cooled flat-twin sourced from the world of aviation. Fittingly, the two-cylinder spun a massive, plane-like propeller. Government vehicles get a special spot in the museum. They range from a Cadillac Series 6700 with an amusing blend of period-correct French-market yellow headlights and massive fins to a 2011 Lexus LS 600h with a custom-made transparent roof panel that was built by Belgian coachbuilder Carat Duchatelet for Prince Albert II's wedding. Here's where it all gets a little weird: you've got a 1952 Austin FX3, a Ghia-bodied 1959 Fiat 500 Jolly, a 1960 BMW Isetta, and a 1971 Lotus Seven. That has to be someone's idea of a perfect four-car garage.  One of the most significant cars in the collection lurks in the far corner of the main hall, which is located a level below the entrance. At first glance, it's a kitted-out Renault 4CV with auxiliary lights, a racing number on the front end, and a period-correct registration number issued in the Bouches-du-Rhone department of France. It doesn't look all that different than the later, unmodified 4CV parked right next to it. Here's what's special about it: this is one of the small handful of Type 1063 models built by Renault for competition.

Watch the Maserati MC20 unveiling

UPDATE: You can now read all the details and see photos of the MC20 here. Maserati has been teasing its upcoming MC20 mid-engined coupe since spring, and today we finally get to see it in the flesh. Maserati will begin the livestream at 2:35 PM Eastern, and you can watch along with us in the video above. If you need a reminder of what we're looking forward to, we're expecting a two-door performance car with a twin-turbo 3.0-liter V6 mounted amidships providing about 630 horsepower and 538 pound-feet of torque. Notably, that motor comes from Maserati itself, rather than sourcing it from Ferrari. In addition to the original teasers from March and a more recent studio teaser from September 1, we've also seen some spy photos of the MC20 out in the wild. There was also a MC20 tribute to Stirling Moss, as well as a 1940 Targa Florio tribute. Check those out to get up to speed, and watch the live event with us here shortly. Maserati MC20 Teasers View 5 Photos

Maserati GranTurismo MC Stradale is an interesting choice in the world of lux GTs

The Maserati GranTurismo MC Stradale sits in an awkward place in the modern world of European grand tourers. Despite its voluptuous Italian body, with 454 horsepower and a six-speed automatic gearbox, it's a bit behind the times when 500 or 600 hp are the norm with seven- or eight-speed transmissions. The GranTurismo is also being phased out, but it's not nearly old enough to be a classic yet. Why would anyone spend their hard-earned dough for this Maserati? XCar Films aims to find out and eventually presents an interesting argument about why the GranTurismo is still worth at least considering against competitive entries from Aston Martin, Porsche, Ferrari or the rest of the European performance pack. This is likely just a temporary goodbye to the GranTurismo anyway, because Maserati plans to revive the name in 2018 with a production version of the Alfieri concept coming in the mean time. If nothing else, this video is a great way to say goodbye to the curvaceous coupe. Related Gallery 2014 Maserati GranTurismo MC Stradale four-seater News Source: XCarFilmsImage Credit: Related images copyright Maserati Maserati Coupe Performance Videos xcar maserati granturismo mc