There are few places better suited to a celebration of automotive elegance than Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, and on 12 and 13 September the peninsula will once again become a showcase for some of the world’s most remarkable historic and prestigious automobiles.
The 13th edition of Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat Prestige will transform Place du Centenaire and the port into an open-air museum of automotive history, bringing together rare classics, competition cars, exceptional coupés and convertibles. Best of all, admission is free, allowing visitors to experience the spectacle against one of the Côte d’Azur’s most glamorous backdrops.
This year’s event has a distinctly Japanese flavour, with Japan chosen as the principal theme. Among the stars of the weekend will be the extraordinary Toyota 2000GT, one of the most coveted Japanese sports cars ever produced. The model achieved international fame after appearing in the 1967 James Bond film You Only Live Twice, in which a specially adapted convertible was driven alongside Sean Connery.
The Toyota will form part of a dedicated Monaco pavilion, adding another layer of Riviera glamour to an event already closely associated with the world of luxury motoring. Visitors will also be able to discover a vehicle from the private collection of Prince Albert II of Monaco, although its identity is being kept secret until the event itself.
The Japanese theme extends beyond the Toyota, with displays celebrating some of the country’s most significant sporting and performance cars, including road-going versions of successful rally machines and celebrated Japanese coupés. Elsewhere, the motor sport pavilion will bring together single-seaters connected with major international racing, while specialist restorers, upholsterers and coach-trimmers demonstrate the painstaking craftsmanship required to preserve automotive history.
But Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat Prestige is about more than simply putting beautiful cars on display. One of the weekend’s highlights will be the Concours d’Élégance, where a carefully selected collection of coupés and convertibles will compete for honours based on their design, authenticity and historical significance.
The concours jury will be led by former Formula One driver and Monaco resident Thierry Boutsen, while visitors will have the opportunity to select their own favourite for the Public Prize. The competing automobiles will parade along Quai Virgile Allari at 3.30pm on Saturday, before returning to the port for the main concours from 3pm on Sunday. Trophy presentations and the Public Prize will follow at 4.40pm, with a final parade around the port scheduled for 5.30pm.
For families, the Prestige Kids Village at the Théâtre sur la Mer provides a more hands-on introduction to motoring. Children can take to an inflatable electric-car circuit, try remote-controlled miniature cars or participate in creative workshops, making the event as accessible to younger visitors as it is to serious collectors and enthusiasts.
The setting is ultimately part of the attraction. Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat’s combination of waterfront scenery, elegant villas, historic architecture and unmistakable Riviera atmosphere provides an appropriately spectacular stage for some of the world’s most beautiful automobiles.
The event runs from 9.30am to 6pm on both Saturday and Sunday, with free access to the exhibitions, concours and activities. Free shuttle buses will run between Le Cap and the village approximately every 20 minutes from 10am to 1pm and again from 2.30pm to 6.30pm. Visitors arriving by public transport can also use bus line 15, getting off at the Port de Saint-Jean stop.
For anyone spending September on the French Riviera, Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat Prestige offers a particularly appealing combination: exceptional cars, international motorsport heritage, Monaco glamour and one of the Côte d’Azur’s most prestigious settings — all wrapped into a free weekend event beside the Mediterranean.
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