THE FULL MONTE

THE Monte Carlo Rally is one of motorsport’s most iconic events, with a history spanning more than a century. But while hundreds of marques have gone head to head in the mountains above the principality of Monaco since 1911, not to mention wheel-to-the-brink-of-disaster around precipitous stages such as the famous Col de Turini in the Alpes Maritimes, only one manufacturer is permitted to use Monte Carlo badges on its cars with the sanction of the Monaco authorities.

That’s Skoda, which signed a deal to license the name from the city-state in 2011, and uses Monte Carlo badges on some of its sporty trim levels as an homage to its real-life successes on the famous rally. Whether Chevrolet’s bosses did the same when launching the Monte Carlo luxury sedan in 1969, or if Lancia’s 1970s sports coupé was called the Montecarlo without a space in order to avoid the need to pay fees to the then-ruling Prince Rainier III isn’t something we’ve been able to easily determine. Both cars routinely come up when