Top Marques 2024: the greatest Supercars show in the world confirms its success

    Top Marques event is quite a unique concept in the luxury world. Mainly based on top quality cars on display, this show is now famous for being the place where supercar makers launch their most recent creations.

    But Top Marques is also an event where you can discover the best of luxury watches and jewelry. Or even the latest ‘superboats’, personal flying modules, moon rovers and some art.

    This year, from June 5th to 9th, the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco welcomed more than 29,000 visitors from all over the world to discover the latest innovations and creations from more than 200 exhibitors. In total, nearly 200 cars were displayed this year.

    This 19th edition was marked by the world premiere for several interesting supercars: the Laffite Automobili LM1, the Bertone GB110 and for “mainstream” makers, the Porsche Macan Electric and the Audi RS6 GT.

    Lamborghini displayed the very new Urus SE (first hybrid car from the Italian manufacturer) and Bugatti showed the fantastic Bugatti Mistral in the “Supercars” hall.

    But Top Marques is not only a show for recent supercars. The organizers decided a few years ago to open this show to classic and collector cars. The visitor’s first sight upon arriving in the Grimaldi Forum first hall, is a large space full of past car beauties and rarities, from all eras but in vast majority post World War II.

    A large selection of Ferrari, Porsche, Mercedes, and even Bugatti was displayed by high-end car sellers.

    1950s enthusiasts could afford a fantastic ‘framboise-coloured’ 300 SL Gullwing at DPM stand and another 300 SL Gullwing in race livery at the Top Classics stand.

    Bentley Special Racers at Belrose Classics stand, Jaguar XKs or a wonderful Ferrari 250 GT Pinin Farina Cabriolet Series II (S/N 3459 GT) at Boutsen Classic Cars stand.

    Not forgetting the wonderful blue Gordini racer with its incredible patina (DPM stand) and the ex-Le Mans 1957 Porsche 550 RS at Boutsen Classic Cars.

    The 1960s fans had the choice between two silver Ferraris, a 250 GT Lusso, S/N 5449 GT, at DPM, or a 275 GTB/4, S/N 10379, at M.C.C., but could also admire stunning Jaguar Type E, a perfect lime green Lamborghini Miura, fantastic Mercedes 190 SLs at Top Classics stand or old Porsches.

 

            250 GT Lusso S/N 5449 GT on DPM stand

    Even a Ford GT 40 and a Porsche 906, again at Boutsen Classic Cars stand. And for the ones rather in the luxury berlins, an outstanding 1963 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud III with new engine, new paint and new interior was offered for sale by Boutsen Classic Cars.

    For 1970s and 1980s lovers, there was a large choice of Mercedes SLs, Porsche 911 and two non-red Ferrari Testarossa (Top Classics stand).

    But also a nice Aston Martin V8 and a rare Ferrari 348 GTB, S/N 97334, for sale at local new seller SV Art & Motors, for the 1990s lovers.

    Each stand was also displaying more modern (super) cars, with a nice selection of McLaren, Porsche Carrera GT, and an amazing trio of modern Bugattis: one Veyron Grand Sport roadster and two Chirons!

    On the Ferrari side, let’s congratulate Top Classics Garage for their top-quality Ferrari display, besides the already described Testarossa, two different examples of the extremely rare 550 Barchetta model (number 260 and number 344 of only 448 examples produced).

    A black 16M Scuderia Spider (that is also a limited series), a black Japanese 599 GTO, and an impressive yellow with full dark red interior 550 Maranello.

    Also a white 488 Spider and last but not least, two of the most exceptional Ferrari supercars: a stunning red/black Enzo, S/N 132324, and an original gray with black LaFerrari model from Middle-East origins, S/N 214127.

    In the second hall, the visitor could admire a nice selection of American muscle cars, and a nice display from Mulhouse National Museum.

    The local Rainier family museum had a Formula 1 Mercedes standing by a 1937 Fleche d’Argent and a nice red DB Coach with older Monaco registration plates and its 1953 3ème Tour de France Automobile stickers and race numbers.

    Between these first two halls and the Supercars hall (where you can discover the World Premiere and where official constructors display their latest creations), the visitor could buy a luxury watch, luxury furniture, discuss crypto or stop in front of an orange Lamborghini equipped with missiles on its roof!

 

            Slower traffic move right - or else!

    The Supercars hall was also full of surprises.

    Laffite Automobili unveiled officially its LM1 model, a road-legal supercar, at Top Marques Monaco this year. Laffite Automobili is a new automobile manufacturer founded by Bruno Laffite, nephew of the famous Formula 1 driver Jacques Laffite.

    The LM1 is inspired by the Le Mans prototypes of the 1970s and 1980s and answers the founder’s dream of creating race cars for the streets. Powered by a V8 mild hybrid engine developing 1000 horsepower, it can reach a top speed of 350 km/h.

    It is equipped with a carbon chassis which gives it exceptional rigidity and lightness. Inside, the steering wheel is inspired by Formula 1. The first customer examples should be produced by the end of 2024. Twenty-four examples of this very exclusive limited series were announced.

    The Bertone stand was another one of the nice surprises of the salon, with the new GB110 present! Bertone is now starting a new era as a coachbuilder of limited-edition ultra high-end sports cars.

    Bertone’s new owners Mauro and Jean-Franck Ricci bought Bertone in 2016, two years after it went bankrupt. They are continuing the history of the coachbuilder and design house, founded in 1912 and widely recognized for shaping some of the world’s most iconic sports cars, turning the company into a supercar builder.

    The GB110 is presented as the first in a series of limited-edition vehicles, marking the 110th anniversary of the company, and using initials of the founder Giovanni Bertone. The GB110 is also the first high performance car that will be supplied with fuel made from  plastic waste.

 

            Bertone GB110

    Indeed, Bertone is partnering with the company Select Fuel which has developed a patented technology to convert polycarbonate materials into renewable fuel. Not much detail is available regarding the engine, except it is a combustion engine and that it develops 1,100 horsepower and 1,100 Nm max torque, with a maximum speed that should be over 380 km/h. Thirty-three examples will be produced.

    Bugatti displayed a Bugatti W16 Mistral, their new supercar based on the Bugatti Chiron Super Sport. It uses the iconic 8-litre W16 engine developing 1,600 hp and announces a maximum top speed of 420 km/h (!). Only 99 customer examples should be made.

    Electric cars were also present at Top Marques. The firm NanoFlowcell displayed The New Quant, the world’s first electric vehicle which runs without a battery.

    A nice surprise awaited vintage Ferrari car lovers in the L’Astarossa hall : the wonderful and historically significant Ferrari 750 Monza, S/N 0552 M, was displayed in a yellow booth, and available for private deal.

    This car, painted in yellow with a black nose, was one of the Jacques Swaters’ Ecurie Nationale Belge’ cars.

 

            750 Monza, S/N 0552 M

    Only two Ferraris were displayed in the Supercar Hall, a Rosso Corsa 296 GTB, S/N 285777, and a brand new yellow 296 Challenge, S/N 308673.

 

            296 GTB Challenge, S/N 308673

    Finally, for the second consecutive year, a specific hall was dedicated to a Ferrari only auction, organized by Monaco car Auctions and named L’Astarossa.

    A very nice selection of cars from the 1950s to modern era was offered for sale. The oldest car was a 250 GT California recreation, based on 1959 250 GT Pinin Farina coupé, S/N 1267 GT.

    A 1964 330 GT 2+2 Series I, S/N 6397 GT, a 1965 275 GTS, S/N 07021, a 1967 330 GTC, S/N 09741, and a 1969 365 GTC, S/N 12543, were auctioned, but none of them sold.

    The two examples of 365 GTC/4, a blue coupé, S/N  15033, and a black spyder conversion, S/N 15497, also failed to sell.

    For early cars, only the 1968 365 GT 2+2, S/N 11779, sold for €184,800, as well as the 1977 208 GT/4, S/N 13334, at €51,520.

    Some of the more modern cars had better success, especially the very low (reported) mileage cars offered for sale: a 3,101 km 1986 328 GTS, S/N 64439, sold for €134,400 and a 1989 Testarossa, S/N 80354, with only 8,228 km sold for €167,500.

    The highest winning bid went to a 2015 458 Speciale A, S/N 207724, which reached €700,000.

    The second highest bid did not go to a car but to a Philippe Shangti iconic photography piece of art, named ‘Luxury Pollution Car’, that reached more than two times its highest estimate at €342,200.

    Two of the highlights of the sale, the rare black 348 Zagato Elaborazione, S/N 84311, and the 2002 Rosso Corsa Ferrari Enzo S/N 129764 with only 7,704 km on odometer, failed to sell.

 

            348 Zagato Elaborazione, S/N 84311

    This second edition of L’Astarossa had, like the  2023 edition, a rather bad result with only eleven Ferrari sold out of the twenty-eight auctioned (39%), and globally hammer prices below or at the lower end of the estimate.

    Despite the mixed results of the auction, the 2024 edition was a success for Top Marques salon. Once described by the New York Times as “The World’s Most Exclusive Auto Show”, this event has nothing to compare to, and absolutely needs a visit if you are a car nut.

    The next edition - the show’s 20th anniversary - should be held earlier in the season, from May 7 to 11, 2025.