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Drive like a prince: Join us for a walk through Monaco's car collection

Small, crowded, and a royal pain in the trunk lid to drive into during rush hour, Monaco sounds like an improbable location for a huge car museum. And yet, this tiny city-state has been closely linked to car culture for over a century. It hosts two major racing events every year, many of its residents would qualify for a frequent shopper card if Rolls-Royce issued one, and Prince Rainier III began assembling a collection of cars in the late 1950s. He opened his collection to the public in 1993 and the museum quickly turned into a popular tourist attraction. The collection continued to grow after his death in April 2005; it moved to a new facility located right on Hercules Port in July 2022. Monaco being Monaco, you'd expect to walk into a room full of the latest, shiniest, and most powerful supercars ever to shred a tire. That's not the case: while there is no shortage of high-horsepower machines, the first cars you see after paying ˆ10 (approximately $11) to get in are pre-war models. In that era, the template for the car as we know it in 2023 hadn't been created, so an eclectic assortment of expensive and dauntingly experimental machines roamed whatever roads were available to them. One is the Leyat Helica, which was built in France in 1921 with a 1.2-liter air-cooled flat-twin sourced from the world of aviation. Fittingly, the two-cylinder spun a massive, plane-like propeller. Government vehicles get a special spot in the museum. They range from a Cadillac Series 6700 with an amusing blend of period-correct French-market yellow headlights and massive fins to a 2011 Lexus LS 600h with a custom-made transparent roof panel that was built by Belgian coachbuilder Carat Duchatelet for Prince Albert II's wedding. Here's where it all gets a little weird: you've got a 1952 Austin FX3, a Ghia-bodied 1959 Fiat 500 Jolly, a 1960 BMW Isetta, and a 1971 Lotus Seven. That has to be someone's idea of a perfect four-car garage.  One of the most significant cars in the collection lurks in the far corner of the main hall, which is located a level below the entrance. At first glance, it's a kitted-out Renault 4CV with auxiliary lights, a racing number on the front end, and a period-correct registration number issued in the Bouches-du-Rhone department of France. It doesn't look all that different than the later, unmodified 4CV parked right next to it. Here's what's special about it: this is one of the small handful of Type 1063 models built by Renault for competition.

Watch a Lamborghini get torn apart by the Taiwanese government

We've all heard tales of the R34 Nissan Skyline GT-R that somehow made it to American roads with questionable registration, only to be confiscated and crushed by officials for being illegally imported. The United States isn't alone in strictly punishing regulation-skirting importers. Just ask the Taiwanese owner of this matte-black Lamborghini Murcielago, or what remains of this Murcielago after it was mauled by a industrial-strength claw. The description on the video gives no clues as to what specific import infraction this Murcielago violated. What's clear is that the government wanted to make an example of its owner, so rather than simply confiscating and crushing the car, they set up shop in the middle of a street, gathered a crowd, and set about tearing the car to bits. The video shows every bit of the destruction, which is at once both rushed and meticulous. The non-stop onslaught reaches every panel, leaving an open, matte-black and Italian tricolore husk. Hopefully the point was made and we won't have to watch anymore beautiful and innocent cars suffer the same fate. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Lamborghini Aventador spotted with more aggressive look

The Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4 has been a huge success for the Italian automaker. The big, burly V12 supercar propelled Lamborghini to record profits a few years ago and the automaker wants to ensure that the Aventador remains relevant with a minor facelift that makes it look even more aggressive. Photographers caught an Aventador testing at the Nurburgring and the vehicle looks like a toned down Aventador LP750-4 SV. At the front, the prototype has smaller air intakes on either side of the front grille, of much the same angular design as the more powerful SV. These replace the unobstructed, larger square-like intakes on the regular model. The prototype still has the same overall profile as the current model. The changes at the back of the prototype are more dramatic. The rear wing is still the same shape and size, but the rear vents, which sit just below the taillights, appear to be smaller and more rectangular. The diffuser, which protrudes out of the prototype's rear end, is closer to the one found on the SV than the more restrained one on the normal Aventador. The exhaust outlet on this test vehicle is also different with a triangular shape that has a three-pipe design instead of the oval-enclosed four-pipe design on the current Aventador. It's also different from the exposed quad-pipe layout emerging from the SV's aggressive hindquarters. We're sure the different exhaust layout will alter the supercar's sound, but rest assured that the revamped Aventador can still spit a massive ball of flame. Rumors hint at the Aventador getting some additional power from its 6.5-liter V12 that currently generates 691 horsepower and 509 pound feet of torque. While the performance increase is up in the air, a dose of additional aggression will keep the Aventador looking fresh as it ages. Related Video: Featured Gallery Lamborghini Aventador Spy Shots View 12 Photos Image Credit: CarPix Spy Photos Lamborghini Coupe Performance Supercars testing