One hundred and thirty years is an important and very prestigious milestone, a fascinating and unique story made of ambitious men, mechanics and innovation. Sport Vélocipédique de la Principauté (SVP) gained its name on 26th August 1890, and that was the moment when the long history of the most exclusive and prestigious club in the world began. Twenty-one bicycle enthusiasts… it all started with this small group, which in the following years would be overwhelmed by the contagious passion for engines that exploded in the early 1900s.
In 1907 the association changed its name into Sport Automobile et Vélocipédique de Monaco (SAVM) and became inextricably linked to the world of the automobile and motorsport. Henri Tairraz was the first president who, in 1909, gave way to Alexandre Noghès, a visionary man and fundamental for future developments. Thanks to his insights, SAVM organised the 1st Monaco Automobile Rally in 1911. A few years later, however, the burst of the First World War interrupted all exhibitions.
The dormant passion awoke stronger than ever after the war when motoring found so many followers. The project of the President of the 1st Semaine automobile started in 1921. The time was ripe, the automobile got the upper hand over other means of transport, and so in 1925, the assembly of members changed its name into ACM Automobile Club de Monaco. The young Antony Noghès got in charge of ACM’s application to the Association Internationale des Automobiles Clubs Reconnus (AIACR) in Paris, which would become the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) years later. However, it received from AIACR the consideration for the club to organize many events, but not in the Monegasque territory.
Disappointed, but strong of his enthusiasm and determination, he cultivated the idea of a city circuit were to hold a car race. He identified the route, analysed the technical limits and above all, he relied on the advice of the experts: the driver Louis Chiron for the sporting point of view, and Jacques Taffe for the technical one. His project also involved financiers to find the necessary forces to support the company.
After the green light, ACM officially announced that no other country in the world would have a circuit of this kind where the Grand Prix would soon take place. The news went around the world so much that on 18th October 1928 AIACR recognized ACM as a national club and listed it among the 34 international clubs. The 1st Monaco Grand Prix kicked off on 14th April 1929 and saw William Grover-Williams triumph over Bugatti.
The Monegasque driver Louis Chiron won in 1931 again on Bugatti, the third consecutive victory for the Molsheim brand. Over the years, we saw drivers of the calibre of Ayrton Senna, who won the circuit six times, including five consecutive victories, and prestigious names such as Graham Hill, Stirling Moss, Jackie Stewart, Juan Manuel Fangio and, more recently, Michael Schumacher, and Alain Prost.
ACM has been organising the Monaco Grand Prix Historique since 1997, bringing the historic F1s to the circuit since 1998, the Rallye Monte-Carlo Historique and Classique, since 2016 E-Rallye Monte-Carlo and recently the Monaco E-Prix. Elegance et Automobile Monte-Carlo is the event reserved for the most beautiful cars of all times. Since 1958 Automobile Club de Monaco has been based in Rue Boulevard Albert 1er, 23 Monaco. A few meters ahead of the sculpture of the Bugatti Type 35 by William Grover-Williams which recalls the beginnings of the Monaco Grand Prix.
Since March 7, 1972, the current ACM team around President Michel Boeri has been rewriting history daily, whilst at the same time preparing for the future. One of its first key actions was to create a Marshals Corps for road and track events. These voluntary members must demonstrate an exemplary level of professionalism to carry out supervisory and safety functions during both the Rallye Monte-Carlo and the Monaco Grand Prix. This requires specific training that culminates in an internationally recognised licence, which is re-evaluated on an annual basis. This small, 700-strong army benefits from a very clear hierarchy and organisation and is universally praised for its efficiency.
In 1984, the ACM headquarters was extended firstly time with the acquisition of the former Rambaldi garage on Boulevard Albert 1er, followed by the rental of premises belonging to the Rosso printing works. On Rue Grimaldi, meanwhile, the club purchased the Galerie Park Palace and rented its three adjoining boutiques, before adding the SAMIPA building to its set of occupied premises. This meant that between 1972 and 2015, the ACM’s owned and occupied premises increased fivefold. That allowed for the introduction of a restaurant, a bar, private members’ rooms, a boutique, the ‘ACM Sport & Marketing’ agency, a ticket office for events and several technical areas rented out to Maison de France. All of this expansion has been necessary to ensure the ACM’s efficient everyday functioning and effective communication at all times between the association’s premises on Boulevard Albert 1er and those on Rue Grimaldi.
This is to the immediate benefit of the organisation and management of Monaco’s motorsport events and the club’s members-only services. The club’s long and illustrious history owes much to its volunteers and permanent members who have all exhibited common human values down the years. This is in addition to an unswerving loyalty to the Principality’s institutions and a burning desire to be, on both a sporting and technical level, the very best in the world in a global field where amateurism no longer has a place.
Today, events run by the Automobile Club de Monaco continue to be organised with the utmost respect for tradition and innovation, whilst retaining the same bold vision that characterised the association’s founders and pioneers so many years ago…
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Article edited by Antonio Erario