When you think about abandoned cars, you wouldn’t assume supercars would be among them. But some owners let their priceless vehicles go to waste. One such car was a Lamborghini Miura S that Greek billionaire Aristotle Onassis purchased for a friend — a singer known as the Greek Elvis.
So, what’s the story behind the abandoned Miura S? Where is it now? And who in the world is the Greek Elvis?
A priceless car for the Greek Elvis
A 1969 Lamborghini Miura S similar to the Greek Elvis’ car | John Keeble/Getty Images
Aristotle Onassis stepped into the spotlight when he married President John F. Kennedy’s widow, Jacqueline. In the 1970s, the famous billionaire financed the construction of 5th Avenue’s Olympic Tower and enjoyed the finest Greek music of the time.
One of his favorite singers was Stamatis Kokotas, considered the Greek Elvis. Onassis admired his work so much he bought Kokotas a 1969 Lamborghini Miura S.
However, the singer left the exotic car to rot in a Hilton hotel garage in Athens for nearly 30 years, Jalopnik reports.
A notoriously hairy man, Kokotas fancied himself a racecar driver. He often pushed his vehicles to their limits. In addition to racing his brown 1969 Lamborghini Miura S, he also sped around in a 2002 BMW.
In many car enthusiasts’ eyes, the Miura S was ruined from day one when a custom steering wheel and four yellow fog lamps were added. From what is known of the car’s history, the engine failed in 1972 after 52,118 miles.
While the engine was out for repairs, Kokotas left the car in the hotel garage.
What happened to the Greek Elvis’ Lamborghini Miura S?
Kokotas lost interest in the car and failed to pay Lamborghini for the repaired engine. So the Miura S sat in that garage for 30 years.
Finally, in 2003, the Miura S’s wheels began turning again, thanks to the Olympic Games. When the hotel underwent renovations to prepare for the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, the Lambo was moved to a storage facility. It ended up next to a red Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing that was also in a state of disrepair. That’s how the Miura S found its way to auction.
In 2012, the abandoned Miura S went up for auction with a new engine. According to Interesting Engineering, the winning bid was $483,210, failing to meet the reserve.
That wasn’t the only abandoned Lamborghini Miura S
Stamatis Kokotas’ Lamborghini Miura S isn’t the only one to be abandoned, so to speak. It’s also not the only one owned by a music celebrity.
Eddie Van Halen owned a 1970 Lamborghini Miura S that he drove daily in Beverly Hills. The supercar even contributed its exhaust note to the Van Halen hit “Panama.”
Van Halen’s first wife, actor Valerie Bertinelli, gave him the car as a wedding gift, and it had the couple’s anniversary, “APR 11,” on its license plates. The rocker often drove the car while listening to his music and jotting down new song ideas.
A few years before his death, Van Halen sold his Miura S to John Temerian, the owner of the Miami vintage exotics dealership Curated. Temerian discovered the Lambo had a rare deviation from the factory: Its body was wider than other Miura S models. He also learned that the widened bodywork had been completed by hand.
In 2019, Temerian sent the Miura S back to the Lamborghini factory in Italy. Its paint color wasn’t original, so he planned to have it restored to the original Verde finish. The original widened wheels, which weren’t on the car when Temerian bought it, would also be restored. Once the restoration is complete, which could take years, Temerian will likely put the ultra-rare vehicle up for sale.
Keyword: Greek Elvis Abandoned a Lamborghini Miura S in a Hotel Parking Garage for 30 Years