A few years ago, one of the most photographed barn find exotics was extricated from its parking garage tomb and sent to auction. Known as the Aristotle Onassis Lamborghini Miura, it failed to meet its reserve and has once again disappeared from the public eye. There’s a great writeup here on The Gentleman Racer (most of the photos are to their credit as well) about this famous Miura P400S, but we’d still like to know where it is now.
Most anyone who has searched for a barn find car via Google has seen the picture on the left of a dusty brown Miura with a row of yellow fog lights bolted to the front end. That’s because the original owner, Stamatis Kokotas, was an ex-rally driver who drove the doors off of this Miura, which was gifted to him due to his second life as a loved entertainer in Greece. That’s him on the right with the big hair.
The Miura was given to him by millionaire Aristotle Onassis, who also allowed for some custom (if not questionable) touches to the Miura per the entertainer’s wild tastes, including the fog lights and this steering wheel. When the motor fell into disrepair and needed to be removed and sent to Lamborghini for rebuilding, Kokotas lost interest and the Miura sat for over forty years in the parking garage of the Athens Hilton.
The car was sent to auction at Coys in the U.K. where it failed to meet reserve in 2012. To the best of my knowledge, the car hasn’t returned to the auction block since, but I hope that’s because the current owner is sorting out the motor while preserving its scruffy exterior. The Aristotle Onassis Miura is a fascinating exotic that has one of the more colorful histories ever recorded by a Miura, and we hope its legacy is preserved.
Jeff……..Why would you assume that a sale would have to through a public auction? I bet they only account for 5% of exotic sales in the world. That is one of the reasons the values gleaned from public sale reports are so far off (either high or low) I have a buddy for instance that knows a significant collector well that sold a 250GTO for far in excess of the published record sale figure……..but why would either party disclose what it was?
I read Sports Car Market fairly regularly, and those no sales on the block that end up with a deal made afterwards are reported fairly regularly in the vehicle profiles. I’m sure a private party deal could have come together, but I also feel like cars this significant tend not to be able to stay out of the spotlight for too many years.
Is that the GTO that sold privately for $52 million a few years ago?
…..a fair bit more than the GTO that was left out in a field behind a Texas trade school and advertised in the back of R&T around 1970 for a few thousand $.
I am not sure. I know who the gentleman is and his comment to my buddy that does work for him was simply he sold his for a lot more than the supposed record sale. I wouldn’t tell anyone either. Why open yourself up to tax consequences or any other scrutiny of your dealings. The best stuff changes hands in what is referred to as a “private sale” with few details. The same goes for real estate, yachts, paintings, most anything bought and sold by a non public entity or corporation where the information has to be disclosed.
I don’t get the desire to preserve the “scruffy exterior.” If you don’t care how the exterior looks, just buy a Camry. I also don’t understand the fascination with celebrity ownership.
A car is only original once. Restoring the exterior of this car would destroy everything this car went through when it was rallied. I can assure you that’s pretty significant as very few Miuras were raced and lived to tell the tale.
The Camry statement is a logical fallacy, in fact it’s the look of this car that would attract certain buyers and their wish to preserve it.
This car wasn’t raced. It was street driven by an entertainer who was once a rally driver.
I agree with you but it’s the music history and notoriety they seek the extra value for I guess?
Why the scumbag comment, is it a race thing I was always told it takes one to know one.
I agree whoop de doo!
Very cool looking car shure be embarrassed getting smoked by a camry with a babyseat in it…
Agree wholeheartedly with KevinR & JimmyJ. If you want to preserve the scruffy look take a picture. How many people would ever see this car anyway? The Miura is arguably one of the prettiest designs of all time and deserves a top-drawer restoration, not to be left as a testament to the indiscretions of some self-absorbed rich guy. The cars we love transcend their owners, even us.
I don’t get that at all.
I don’t get the crowd that owns 300SL Gullwings or Roadsters.
Those people that take a 60 ooo mile original car and spend millions to restore them to better than knew condition and rebuild the motor when it has low miles…
I am actually more appalled at that , but couldn’t care less, because I will never own one of those, even if I won the power ball jackpot tomorrow..
I hate to burst your bubble but it was scraped out and crushed in 2016.
Info on that please Dick.
Definitely want to see confirmation on the scrapping and crushing of a Miura in 2016. I can’t find anything about that, and it makes no sense at all that it would suffer that fate in 2016 – – it was bid to ca. $483K in 2012, so it was worth at least that much.
What exactly do you mean by “scraped”, Dick?
Well in the auto world that would mean good parts taken off and sold. While what ever is left is cut into little chunks and finally melted down to make something else.
Beautiful car ..
I went to a catholic high school that was a mix of rich kids and working class( I was the later) in the late 60’s. Our cars were a mix of mommy cars, exotics, muscle cars etc. I had a humble mg midget that I worked and saved and bought at the start of my senior year. one kid had a new road runner that he would do burn outs with everyday leaving the parking lot. We had a road rally one afternoon for senior day and he showed up with a yellow miura, it was his dad’s. I had never seen such a beautiful car.
Worth far too much to part that one out. Dick is pulling your chain.
The car is currently owned by a collector in the U.K. It definitely has NOT been scrapped.
I bought a car from Buford Johnson once. He was a local celebrity who robbed gas stations. The only celeb car that I wanted was Dan Akroyd’s 55 De Soto wagon. Not because Danny owned it, but because it was owned by an enthusiast that cared for it’s survival.
Yeah Dick where’s your proof of the scrapping???
You guys are so gullible………such fish, he was teasing you……..and you took the bait. I am sure there are more exotics sold on the golf course than at published auctions. If you had plenty of money, why would anyone want to put up with the hassle of dealing with an auction?
Dave,
You are right, I just had to see how many would jump on that.
I am UK based and have a genuine potential buyer that has asked me to track this car down – if indeed it is for sale. Buyer has the money to do a restoration justice.
I would assume that many desirable cars hit the auction blocks when the money roll starts getting thin, and the owners that bought them on a whim, need to generate some coin.
The Toys always go first. Then the mistress. Then the wife.
Anybody have an idea of what the reserve on this Miura was?
The Miura was most likely owned by his son Alexander who died in a plane crash in 1972. Ironic JFK JR met same fate.
Such a beautiful thing…
UKPaulGB. Whether it was a race thing or not, it would appear that this dude was a thoroughly nasty piece of work and deserved everything that he got. His rap sheet is about as long as my arm.
Agree. Would make a good movie!
The Police with stolen guns was bizarre too..