1990 Monte Carlo Automotive Centenaire

Documents: Bill of Sale
Chassis No. EL 0002 GB

Monaco, long synonymous with the world's foremost gatherings of rare collector cars, has produced remarkably few automobiles of its own. The most significant was Monte Carlo Automotive (MCA), a boutique Monaco-born manufacturer known for creating the first homologated carbon fiber monocoque supercar for the road.

MCA was founded in 1985 by former Formula 2 and CART driver Fulvio-Maria Ballabio, who assembled an extraordinary roster of Italian motorsport talent to realize his vision. The operation was led by technical director Carlo Chiti, the legendary Italian engineer whose extraordinary resumé includes his extensive involvement with the design of the Ferrari 156 Sharknose Formula 1 car, which helped Scuderia Ferrari secure their maiden constructor's title and Phil Hill his first driver's title in 1961; establishment and management of Alfa Romeo's immensely successful Autodelta competition department; and designing the V8 engine for the illustrious Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale road car. The Centenaire would be the final project Chiti worked on, as the motorsport luminary passed away in 1994. Former Alfa Romeo Sporting Director Pier Luigi Corbari, AGS Formula 1 specialist Marcel Zunnino, and former Formula 1 driver/constructor and carbon composite mastermind Guglielmo Bellasi also contributed to the project. Ballabio ultimately secured a 1990 agreement with Lamborghini to supply their potent V12 powerplant, further elevating the Centenaire's remarkable performance pedigree.

Unveiled in May 1990, the resulting MCA Centenaire was a landmark: clinching the title as the world's first road-going supercar with a carbon-composite chassis (predating even the Jaguar XJR-15, announced that November, and often mistakenly attributed to the legendary McLaren F1), and the first supercar built in Monaco. Coinciding with the 100-year anniversary of the Automobile Club de Monaco, it was named the Centenaire and was presented to Prince Albert II of Monaco, whose support helped establish the Centenaire as the Principality's homegrown supercar. Upon traveling to Monaco to see the car, Ferrari Formula 1 World Champion Phil Hill wrote in the April 1992 article of Road & Track, ''even with a populace as cosmopolitan and blasé as the Monegasques, a car as exot­ic as the Monte Carlo GTB still commands quite a crowd-whether rolling or roaring along.”

The Monaco-built supercar evolved throughout the 1990s with examples sporting different names and powerplants which culminated in the Méga Monte Carlo in 1996, but only three original Centenaires were produced between 1990 and 1992 with the original Lamborghini V12. Two examples were developed for trials for the 1993 24 Hours of Le Mans, where they reportedly reached 354 km/h on the Mulsanne Straight.

This 1990 MCA Centenaire is the very first example produced and is thus the first road-going production car fitted with a carbon fiber chassis. This example was the sole Centenaire originally finished in Ivory White and was complemented by a stunning red leather interior; a combination crafted to represent the national colors of the Principality of Monaco. It is one of the original three examples that contains the robust 5.2-liter V12 from the Countach 5000QV, producing 455 PS fed through a ZF six-speed manual transmission.

An accompanying letter by MCA representative Matteo Ramello confirms that this car was the original chassis number 001; explaining that the car was the first example produced and was initially used for development, testing, and presentation purposes. Once these responsibilities were completed, the car was redesignated EL0002 and was held in Lamborghini's factory in Sant'Agata Bolognese for approximately 10 years, before it was gifted to company founder Fulvio Ballabio in the early 2000s.

Refinished in blue circa 2007, the car was notably displayed at Rétromobile that year alongside the Lamborghini Pregunta concept-another unique collaboration famously offered by Broad Arrow at their inaugural 2025 Zoute Concours Auction, and graciously offered by the very same seller.

This example was acquired by the consignor in France in 2014. Approximately two years later, the Centenaire's bodywork was restored by Établissements Lecoq, whereupon it was refinished in correct Ivory White, with the car's red leather upholstery carefully preserved.

Today, this 1990 MCA Centenaire shows just 1,560 kilometers at cataloging. Given its use as MCA's development, testing, and presentation car, it is quite likely that the chassis accumulated additional mileage before its odometer was reset and the car was sold to its first private owner. It is accompanied by a vast history file including MCA correspondence and press documentation, period photos of the car in the Lamborghini factory and at Rétromobile, and even a copy of the contract between Automobili Lamborghini and Fulvio Ballabio for the supply of Lamborghini's engines.

The MCA Centenaire is an exceedingly rare and distinctive model, and is no doubt a pioneering model in the history of supercar development. This example is poised to command discerning admiration and rewards at concours events and other prestigious automotive gatherings worldwide. Wherever it goes, it is sure to prove Phil Hill's keen observation correct: even in Monaco, a car this exotic is impossible to ignore.