On May 1st RM Auctions will inaugurate a new annual sale in Monaco headlined by a rare Ferrari expected to fetch up to $3.5 million. The Sporting Classics of Monaco event will be held at the Grimaldi Forum during the same weekend as the 7th Grand Prix Historique de Monaco. 80 of the world's finest motor cars will be on offer, headlined by a stunning 1962 Ferrari 400 Superamerica Cabriolet Pininfarina (above). One of only six short wheelbase examples bodied by Pininfarina, the Ferrari, chassis no. 3309SA was the last example built, and displayed as a factory show car at the Geneva and New York Auto Shows in 1962. The car, which recently underwent a no-expense spared, nut and bolt restoration by top tier marque specialists, won an award at this year's famed Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. Widely regarded as more exclusive, powerful and luxurious than the SWB California Spider, its offering is set to garner significant attention from collectors around the world.

[via JustLuxe]

Sir Roger Moore, famed for his portrayal of James Bond in the '70s and '80s, helped launched Swedish boatmaker J Craft's "Bentley of the Seas," the J Craft Torpedo (above), at the Monaco Yacht Show the other day. The Swedish boat building tradition is one of hand shaped hulls, rock solid construction and meticulous craftsmanship. The bespoke 42-ft. motorboat takes this practice to its extreme in every detail. The eco-friendly mahogany deck is lacquered 18 times for the perfect combination of gloss and strength. Every detail is meticulously hand finished, from the stitching on the leather upholstery to the finish of the bow chocks. No two Torpedos are exactly alike. Its Volvo Penta IPS engines can push the vessel up to speeds of 44 knots, the hand made steering wheel is from the same manufacturer that made the Ferrari 250 GTO a winner on racetracks and it even comes with a set of silver cutlery designed by HRH Prince Carl Philip of Sweden.

Eurocopter has just unveiled a new nautical-themed helicopter concept designed specially for use on superyachts at the Monaco Yacht Show, in partnership with luxury yacht broker Edmiston. The exterior of the twin engine Eurocopter EC155 B1 Dauphin by Andrew Winch Designs (AWD) is meant to evoke the contours of ocean waves via curving raised polished stainless steel trim lines. Yacht-inspired interior teak flooring, leather wrap-around adjustable sport seats fitted with carbon fiber back shells, fold-down central armrests, and "floating" LCD screens with headphones combine to offer the ultimate in luxury transport, along with bespoke touches such as the yacht's name etched in the rear windows. "The key idea behind my concept is endless comfort, be it on land with a Range Rover, at sea with a yacht or in the air with a helicopter," Winch notes.

[via JamesList]

Ulysse Nardin says "I love you Monaco" with the Monaco YS Maxi Marine Diver watch. The principality is the locale for many a sold luxury watch, so luxury brands are keen on showing Prince Albert, the sovereign of Monaco the love. This time the watch is pretty nice, though far from original as it is just a redressed Maxi Marine Diver watch. Unlike the recent Ulysse Nardin Maxi Marine Black Surf Diver watch that I recently discussed, while both of these watches share black tones, the Monaco YS watch does the black with DLC (diamond like carbon) coated over the steel.

Like the Black Surf, this watch has 18k rose gold accents, just not as much of it. The watch also feature gray colored lume on the dial for a more stealthy look.There is also the "Monaco" branding on the dial. This Ulysse Nardin Monaco YS Maxi Marine Diver watch also has the UN caliber 26 automatic Chronometer movement with power reserve, and comes in a limited edition of just 100 pieces. Ceramic links are placed into the otherwise rubber strap. Pretty much everything else is the same as the outgoing Maxi Marine Diver watch, expect for the price, that will be more.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

It is the timepiece that you never thought Tag Heuer would make - but they did. As a limited edition of just 150 watches the Monaco V4 is a great looking watch that is as fun to watch in operation as it is to show off. Plus, it is the only Tag Heuer watch I know of made from platinum (170 grams of it). Aside from the unique look of the watch and the modern styling, there are two major points of interest in the watch.

First, the watch movement uses a series of transmission belts instead of pinions. The belts are the smallest made anywhere and still have a thin steel wire in them for strength. Basically, instead of smaller gears connecting some of the larger gears, there are the belts that do it. Second is the use of a liner weight for the automatic movement. The idea is meant to resemble a piston in a engine. Instead of an oscillating weight moving around in a circle, the linear weight moves up and down to power the movement. Power is stored in four barrels that are seen in the rear of the watch (hence the V4 name). The power reserve is 52 hours, and the watch is actually very accurate at about plus or minus 4 seconds a day.

The watch also uses mini ball bearings instead of "rubies" that are commonly used in watches for low friction between gears and palettes. Tag Heuer says that the ball bearings provide even less friction than the commonly used synthetic rubies. The watch functions include the time and a power reserve indicator. It is a new style of skeletonized watch, and very Tag Heuer in character. Price is $80,000 for each piece in the limited edition (save for the first piece that is being auctioned off for charity).

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Some companies make things. Others make things better. Take for example the Bamford Watch Department. They don't make their own watches. Probably because they know there are enough companies out there making excellent timepieces. What's lacking, in the eyes of the British purveyor of luxury items, is customization options. So they offer a line of Rolex wristwatches – like their PVD-coated Daytona Cosmograph – with a seemingly endless array of color combinations. The watches can be customized right on their website (not unlike premium automakers' configurators on which we've wasted countless hours), and now Bamford has added another model to their portfolio: the TAG Heuer Monaco.

Now celebrating its fortieth anniversary, the square-cased Monaco is one of the most iconic wristwatches of all time. But while TAG Heuer has released some special anniversary editions in various color combinations, Bamford lets you specify everything, from the dial color and strap stitching to the date window and chronograph indices. The privilege will cost you around ￡5,000, but there's no cost for toying around with the online customization interface.

There are two ways to take in the Tour de France. One is to cram yourself into a spot along some godforsaken stretch of road with all the other riffraff. You can hope to get a look at the action ... as long as they person in front of you isn't tall. Or, you can find your way to Monaco's F1 circuit, where the race departs. Instead of schlepping out to the site, you can stay nearby. Without the hassle of getting to and from, you might actually enjoy the experience!

To help you enjoy the kickoff of the 96th Tour, the Fairmont Monte Carlo has put together a great package. Stay from July 1 to July 5, and you can pick up a room for €529 (around $735) a night, with a buffet breakfast included.

So, if you've ever wanted to witness the greatest cycling spectacle of all time, here's your chance to do it the right way. Once the riders depart, drop some cash on the roulette table, and sip a wine carefully crafted in Provence. Do everything that those dedicated athletes can't. The lucky racers won't be back until next year, but you can take a few more days to play with the wealthy.

A billboard featuring sultry model Jessiqa Pace (above) on the racetrack at the Monaco Grand Prix had to be taken down after it proved too distracting to Formula 1 drivers over the weekend. Pace, 29, appears in the campaign for Martini, the Italian winemaker founded in 1863 and famous for its iconic vermouth.

F1 team representatives asked for the posters to be taken down after drivers complained during trial runs; champ Lewis Hamilton crashed in Saturday's qualifying round close to the gigantic image of Jessiqa. "All the attention is overwhelming," she told the London Daily Star. "I find it really funny. Obviously it's very flattering that I'm distracting the drivers so much, but I'd feel terrible if someone got hurt."

Once derided as knee-dragging crotch-rockets, motorcycles have been gaining more respect in the world of classic motors. We reported earlier that Pebble Beach would be welcoming classic motorbikes to its vaunted concours for the first time this year, and now a famed automotive auction house is gearing up to sell off a corral of historic motorcycles, including this noteworthy example. The Suzuki 500 XR40 you see here is the bike with which Franco Uncini won the 1982 MotoGP World Championship, the two-wheeled equivalent to Formula One. It would be the first and only world title the legendary rider would win, a crash in Holland the following year putting him temporarily into a coma and subsequently ending his career. Long since recovered, Uncini today acts as a safety representative for the series, making good use of their new BMW X6 M safety car. He'll also be on hand at the COYS auction in Monaco on May 18 where his title-winning bike is expected to go for as much as €350,000 ($470k), hitting the auction block together with several other historically important motorcycles.

Spotted in Monaco recently was this pimped-out Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe customized in a Murakami multicolored Louis Vuitton monogram, belonging to the infamous Prince Marcus von Anhalt. Von Anhalt, who's said to have essentially bought his title - Prinz von Anhalt, Herzog zu Sachsen und Westfalen, Graf von Askanien in full - by paying Zsa Zsa Gabor and her ninth husband Frédéric Prinz von Anhalt millions of dollars to adopt him, is one of Germany's largest and most high-profile brothel and nightclub owners.

He refers to himself as "Prince Germany" and apparently uses the Rolls to promote the Royal Race, a Gumball 3000-style exotic auto rally he launched last year. The Prince, who's been known to pal around with Pamela Anderson, claims to be a millionaire "in the three digit range" and to own 26 cars plus luxury real estate in several countries including Monaco and Dubai, attended by 12 bodyguards and 25 servants. This looks to us like not only a crime against taste but exactly the kind of thing LVMH's lawyers love to sue over.

[via JamesList]

Christian Slater's vintage Aston Martin is among the lots on offer at Bonhams' Collectors' Motor Car Sale at the S.A.S. le Prince de Monaco Motor Museum in Monaco on May 18. The car is a 1984 Aston Martin V8 Volante, finished in gray with a matching gray leather interior, that the Hollywood star bought in Los Angeles in 1997, a few years after he starred in True Romance. The Aston is estimated at €40,000 - €50,000, or about $50,000 - $65,000. Slater's Aston is a steal compared to the auction's top lot, the 1928 Alfa Romeo 6C 1500 Mille Miglia Speciale, one of only three in existence, which is expected to fetch up to $1 million.

The other day we told you about the awesome $1.5 million armored Rolls-Royce Phantom. If you're looking for something a little more utilitarian (and less expensive) though equally anti-ballistic, feast your eyes on the new Russian-made Dartz Kombat T98 SUV. The Hummer lookalike, a sort of tank-meets-luxury SUV, features heavy steel plated doors and 3-inch windows, and is impervious to everything from AK-47s to rocket-propelled grenades. Powered by an 8.1 liter Vortec V8, capable of 110 mph, it's priced at about $200,000. Prince Albert of Monaco was spotted checking the vehicle out at the recent Top Marques Monaco auto show.

The more things change, the more they stay the same. That's what they say, but the inverse might as well be true when it comes to the latest AC Cobra. The iconic roadster that originally went into production in 1961 and immortalized by the legendary Carroll Shelby is still around, its latest version scheduled to be unveiled shortly at the prestigious Top Marques show in Monte Carlo. Only instead of being built in England with a big-block Ford engine, it's now being built in Germany with a Chevy small-block.

The AC Cobra MkVI is available in two versions: the GT with an enormous 437 horsepower, or the GTS with an unfathomable 647. Keeping all that power in check are a set of Porsche brakes (vented discs with four-piston calipers), which is good because the GTS will hit 60 in a heartbeat over three seconds. Since it's being built now by Gullwing GmbH, the latest Cobra comes with a removable hard-top with gull-wing doors to ease access. Click on the thumbnail images below to view in high resolution.

The most expensive place to own prime real estate in the world is now Monaco which beat out London as the most expensive place to buy residential property in a recent survey. In Monaco a piece of prime property costs 50 000 euros per square meter ($68,000) versus 28,000 euros for London and 16,000 euros for Manhattan. The Wealth Report, compiled by Citi Private Bank and Knight Frank shows that property values fell 17 percent in London and 25 percent in Hong Kong. Real estate around the world is generally gloomy with prices either down or in stasis in most of the world's cities.