Monaco’s First Supercar Targets $1.29 Million At Auction

An ultra-rare 1990 MCA Centenaire is heading to the auction block with Broad Arrow Auctions, carrying a pre-sale estimate of €900,000 to €1,200,000, which translates to about $967,000 to $1,290,000. Bidding will go down on October 9, 2026, at Approach Golf in Knokke-Heist, Belgium, coinciding with the Zoute Grand Prix Car Week. Monte Carlo Automotive built just five Centenaires between 1990 and 1992. This particular car is described by the consignor as the exact vehicle that launched the entire project, serving testing, development, and presentation duties before Lamborghini kept it at the Sant’Agata Bolognese factory for about a decade. Founder Fulvio-Maria Ballabio eventually received the car as a gift in the early 2000s. It later appeared at Rétromobile 2007 finished in blue paint, and underwent a bodywork restoration around 2016 to bring it back to its original Ivory White over red leather spec, mirroring the Monegasque flag. The car’s pedigree is backed by a history file featuring the original supply contract between Lamborghini and Ballabio for the V12 engines, plus period photos from the factory and Rétromobile. Monte Carlo Automotive was founded by former Formula 2 and CART driver Fulvio-Maria Ballabio, alongside technical director Carlo Chiti from Scuderia Ferrari and Autodelta, and former Alfa Romeo sporting director Pierluigi Corbari. The team built the Centenaire around a carbon fiber monocoque, noted as an early application for a production road car. It packs a Lamborghini 5.2-liter V12 shared with the Countach 5000 QV, hooked up to a ZF six-speed manual gearbox driving the rear wheels. The name honors the 100th anniversary of the Automobile Club de Monaco, and the car was originally presented to Prince Albert II. Two examples were later modified for Le Mans trials, reportedly touching 220 mph on the Mulsanne Straight.