More than 22,000 visitors, 16 world debuts, a hypercar producing 2,157 horsepower, the first ever Visitors Awards, Paul Pogba, Fernando Alonso, and exhibitors rebooked for 2027 before the public had even arrived. The 21st edition of Top Marques Monaco was, by every conceivable measure, a record breaker.
There is a version of a motor show that exists to display cars people cannot afford and will never buy, where manufacturers smile politely and collect business cards and nothing in particular happens commercially. Top Marques Monaco is emphatically not that show. The 21st edition, which ran from May 7 to 10 at the Grimaldi Forum, closed its doors with supercars sold in every hall, a classic car dealer who shifted his entire stand, a single watch exhibitor who moved 18 timepieces at a minimum of €30,000 apiece, and a jewellery section that also confirmed multiple sales. This was not an exhibition. This was a marketplace operating at the highest level of the luxury world, and it had the figures to prove it.
The headline numbers are worth stating clearly. More than 22,000 visitors attended across four and a half days, a record for the event. Final counts are still being confirmed, but organisers are confident in that figure. A significant percentage of exhibitors confirmed their presence for 2027 before the first public day had concluded, an occurrence that event director Emeric Garcia described as unprecedented in the show’s history. When the people selling things are rebooking before the doors have opened, something has gone very right.
THE COLLECTORS PRIVATE VIEWING
The show’s most significant structural addition for 2026 was the inaugural Collectors Private Viewing, held on the evening of Wednesday, May 6 from 5pm to 7pm and sponsored by new partner Ex Jets. For the first time, serious collectors were given exclusive access to the entire show, including the new Luxury Tuners Hall, before the VIP Avant Première cocktail. The impact was immediate. Exhibitors reported confirmed deals within hours. The Private Viewing has already been credited by the organisers as one of the key reasons for this year’s exceptional commercial results. Giving the right people access before the crowds arrive is, it turns out, a fairly effective sales strategy.
THE WORLD DEBUTS
The hypercar world paid particular attention to the Giamaro Automobili Krafla, which produced the show’s defining number: 2,157 horsepower from a naturally aspirated V12 engine equipped with four turbochargers. Whether that particular combination of technologies represents an engineering triumph or a philosophical contradiction is a conversation for another day. What is not up for debate is that 2,157 horsepower is an extraordinary figure, and the Krafla was the car on everyone’s lips when they left. The Audi RS5 made its global debut in Monaco as a plug-in hybrid combining a twin-turbocharged V6 with electric power. From Barcelona, the Baltasar Revolt demonstrated a 0 to 100 km/h time of 2.5 seconds. German newcomer OQTA meanwhile unveiled its first model to a hyper-luxury collector audience that is, frankly, the best possible room in which to launch something aimed at hyper-luxury collectors.
THE FIRST EVER VISITORS AWARDS
The inaugural Top Marques Monaco Visitors Awards produced results that will be discussed for some time. In the Supercar category, OQTA, the German newcomer that had only just unveiled its first car, won the public vote. This is either a sign that Monaco’s visiting collectors have exceptional taste or an early indication that the brand has arrived with considerable force. Probably both. Italian dealer Car & Car took the Classic Car prize for a collection that was, by multiple accounts, among the finest on the floor. And Mansory, presenting the Mansory Azur and the Mansory Emperor Signature in the new Luxury Tuners Hall, claimed that category with authority. The awards are a welcome addition to the show’s programme and, based on the enthusiasm they generated, are likely to become one of its defining annual moments.
THE INAUGURATION AND THE GUEST LIST
The 21st edition was officially inaugurated on May 7 by Mr Georges Marsan, Mayor of Monaco, accompanied by the Minister of the Interior and the President of the National Council. HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco, High Patron of the event, paid a private visit alongside the Minister of State, a level of official support that distinguishes Top Marques Monaco from virtually every other automotive event on the calendar.
The guest list beyond the official party was formidable. Paul Pogba visited on multiple occasions. Members of the AS Monaco Basketball Team stopped by. Fernando Alonso and Arthur Leclerc represented the motorsport world, alongside Formula 1 legend Mika Häkkinen. Automotive influencers Shmee150 and GMK brought their combined audiences of millions along for the ride. GMK, Ambassador of Top Marques Monaco, arrived with 12 of his own supercars and spent an afternoon taking photographs with fans, generating the kind of organic social media reach that no advertising budget can buy.
“We had exhibitors rebooking for next year before we’d even opened to the public. This edition is definitive proof that Top Marques Monaco has a vital role in the luxury automotive market.”
— EMERIC GARCIA, DIRECTOR, TOP MARQUES MONACO
WHAT COMES NEXT
Top Marques Monaco 2026 was the event’s first edition under the umbrella of Informa Prestige Monaco, a portfolio that includes the Monaco Yacht Show, Art Monte-Carlo and media group BOAT International. The infrastructure that portfolio brings to an event of this scale is considerable, and the record-breaking 2026 results suggest the first year of that partnership has been a success by any reasonable measure.
Garcia was direct about what comes next: 2027 will be bigger, better and more ambitious. Given that exhibitors were already committing to next year while this one was still running, the commercial foundation is clearly in place. The Luxury Tuners Hall stays. The Collectors Private Viewing will almost certainly return. And somewhere, a manufacturer is already preparing something with a power figure that will make 2,157 horsepower look almost reasonable. Almost.
REVMAG VERDICT
Top Marques Monaco has spent 21 years building towards an edition like this one. Record attendance, record sales, record debuts, a first ever Visitors Award that produced a genuinely surprising winner, and a commercial momentum that had exhibitors locking in 2027 before the public had even arrived. The Krafla’s 2,157 horsepower will be the number people remember. The Collectors Private Viewing is the innovation that explains the results. And Emeric Garcia’s promise that 2027 will be bigger and more ambitious is, on current evidence, entirely credible. The diary entry is already made.