PistonDAO: The inspiration from one man’s passion

With special thanks to Geordie Manolas

Kerry’s lifelong love affair with cars spanned nearly 50 years of collecting, racing, and restoration. This passion, deeply rooted within our family, continues to inspire the team behind PistonDAO.

Born in 1938 in Perth, Kerry had a modest start in life, growing up in a hard-working Greek family and training as a pharmacist. After a brief stint running a pharmacy in London, Kerry returned to his family in Darwin in 1962 and opened his first pharmacy there.

His natural business acumen was evident early on, and over the next 20 years he successfully expanded his businesses to include pharmacies, supermarkets, photo processing labs, cattle stations and even Australia’s largest mango farm. Real estate development was also a focus, and Kerry became known as one of the early real estate pioneers in his hometown of Darwin, developing the NT’s largest shopping centre, Casuarina Square, and its first international hotel, the Sheraton Darwin (now the Hilton Darwin).

Chance encounter

Shortly after moving to Sydney in 1977, Kerry spotted a 1934 3.5 litre Bentley Vanden Plas Tourer in a showroom window. That chance encounter sparked a passion that would forever define him.

From there, Kerry quickly moved to a very rare 1937 Mercedes 540K Speciale Roadster with a colourful history. One of only 25 built, his was one of just two that had the ‘long-tail’ wheel cover.

Kerry then acquired a 300SL Gullwing Mercedes Coupe, which he took to the Mille Miglia in 1981. Kerry discovered his passion for motor racing and from then on much of his collecting emphasised competition cars.

The original barn find guy

In 1982, her purchased a sight unseen barn-find from Argentina – a rare 1952 Ferrari 225 Vignale Sport Spider. Following an extensive restoration, Kerry took the Best Restoration Trophy at the 1984 Pebble Beach Concourse.

Next was a stunning 1953 Ferrari 4.9 litre V12 375 Plus, one of just five built, and the winner of the 1954 Carrera Panamericana. Again bought sight unseen, the car arrived in several large crates, having been taken apart by the previous owner. Kerry immediately sent it to Auto Restorations in Christchurch and after an 18-month restoration, it was awarded the Best Restoration Trophy at the 1986 Monterey Historic at Laguna Seca.

Kerry loved to recount how he was the first non-American to take top honours, comparing his win to stealing the Americas Cup away from the locals!

The 375 Plus was followed by Kerry’s ultimate Ferrari, a 1958 250 Testa Rossa, a potent 3-litre V12, and one of only 33 Scaglietti ‘pontoon fenders’ built.

Nicknamed ‘Lucybelle II’, the 250TR was co-driven by Kerry in the 1991 Mille Miglia with his close friend Bruce Trenery (of Fantasy Junction).

Kerry and Bruce had previously completed the 1988 Mille Miglia together behind the wheel of Kerry’s SS100 Jaguar, and the 1989 Mille Miglia in Kerry’s 1956 Jaguar XKSS (later sold by Kerry to American fashion icon and car collector, Ralph Lauren), and they were itching to complete the trifecta in a Ferrari.

Ultimate racing experience

Driven by his desire for the ultimate racing experience, Kerry traded his 250TR for a rare 1958 Fantuzzi bodied 196S Dino, which saw success on tracks like Laguna Seca, Spa, and Nürburgring. The car had a serious race pedigree, having been campaigned hard by Ricardo Rodriguez and his brother Pedro in the Sebring 12-hour, Nürburgring 1000, Targa Florio and the Bahamas Speed Week.

Following a stint with Auto Restorations NZ, the car was very successful on the track, winning from start to finish on its first appearance at Laguna Seca. It also had several wins at Spa and Nürburgring, and took the chequered flag at the Coy’s 1995 Silverstone sports car event.

Another of Kerry’s favourite Ferraris was the blisteringly quick 250GT SWB. Kerry was fortunate to own two of these, the first a 1961 250GT SWB Berlinetta Competizione, a rare ‘SEFAC hot rod’, the Scaglietti design considered by many Ferraristi to be one of the most beautiful ever made. Kerry campaigned the car in the 1997 Colorado Grand where the silver and blue hot rod was quickly dubbed the ‘Silver Bullet’.

He also had considerable success in the ‘Silver Bullet’ at Laguna Seca and at Coy’s Silverstone celebrating Ferrari’s 50th anniversary, where it finished each race third overall (only beaten by two much more powerful 250GTOs).

While race cars were his first passion, Kerry’s collection extended beyond racing and the Ferrari marque. He owned iconic cars like the Aston Martin DB3S/9 (an ex-Stirling Moss Le Mans winner), Alfa Romeo 8C-2300 (ex-Lord Howe Le Mans winner), a 1964 250 Lusso, a 1965 500 Superfast, several Ferrari 275 GTB, two Ferrari F40, 512BB, 348TS, 355 Spider, 550 Maranello, and more recently, an 812 Superfast, GTC4Lusso, Alfa Romeo T33 Stradale, Maserati 300S, Mercedes 300SL Roadster and a Jaguar XJ220.

Vibrant legacy

Kerry passed away in September 2022, aged 84, and will be remembered for his humility, vast knowledge, and the lasting impact he made on the world of motorsports. His achievements cemented his place as a true legend, and his vibrant legacy continues to inspire our PistonDAO team, driving us to:

• Create a platform and community that is exclusive yet inclusive, fostering a sense of belonging for automotive enthusiasts worldwide.
• Enable people to own the cars of their dreams in a creative way, making the impossible attainable.
• Build a community where individuals can learn, teach, and collaborate, empowering everyone to achieve their automotive goals and connect with the best in the industry.

Until “next time…”
PistonDAO.

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