Stamatis Kokotas: The relationship with Aristotle Onassis and the unknown story with the Lamborghini he gave him

Stamatis Kokotas may have passed away at the age of 85, but his passion for singing, his love for the public, his legendary favorites and his adoration for cars will remain unchanged.

The great folk singer collaborated with big names of the Greek pentagram and with some of the most important composers, among them, Giorgos Zampetas and Stavros Xarchakos.

He was also a fraternal friend with Aristotle Onassis and had excellent relations with Maria Callas and Jackie Kennedy.

The parties in Scorpio and the side table in Jackie

“Aristos singled me out and Maria told me “what sweet songs you sing Stamatis”. Maria was not easy to talk to, we didn’t talk much, just a few things. But I gave her six long plays of mine which she listened to every night when she wanted to rest. I was glad to have had the chance to meet such a lady”, he has confessed himself.

Speaking to Lifo, he has described the Greek cross as a “boy”. “He was a man who had never calculated money, who he was, what he did and what he didn’t do. Everything the company wanted was always done. It is known that while I was singing and he was sitting at the first table across from me, or while we were at Scorpio, in some luculian meals with 50 tables below, billion dollar contracts were signed.”

Very often Stamatis Kokotas sang in front of at least 30-40 of his guests, who could be from kings and prime ministers to bankers and businessmen.

Many times while Stamatis Kokotas had just returned from the shop, Onassis would send his driver to take him to Skorpios. “Wake him up, it’s the car downstairs, he has to come because we have guests at the Scorpio.”

Also, the story with the ship owner, who sent him his private helicopter to go to his private island, and to learn to dance with Jackie Kennedy, is well known.

“I was his entertainer. We happened to be in a lot of company with very difficult people, from kings and nobles. Until the day he left this world, we were the best of friends. He was a good man, a levent and a half. When he saw that someone was bothering me, he would go to him and kick him out,” Stamatis Kokotas has said to “Proinono” about his relationship with Onassis.

His special love for cars and Lamborghini

Stamatis Kokotas had a passion for cars. Photos of him as a racing driver made headlines. He himself has confessed: “I liked the car, the speed, I played as much as I wanted, now I don’t even ride it.”

Aristotle Onassis bought in 1969 one of the total of 140 Lamborghini Miura S, manufactured from 1968 – 1971 and donated it to the singer.

A few years later, however, the 3.9-liter V12 engine suffered mechanical failure, was removed, and sent to Lamborghini for repair.

The Miura, with P400 S badges, was stored in the Hilton parking lot, where it remained until the start of the hotel’s major renovation in 2003. It was then moved to another underground garage, without the engine, since the V12 remained as an exhibit in the Lamborghini museum .

In December 2012 the car, which “gave no memories” to Stamatis Kokotas as he has stated, changed hands for the sum of 320,000 euros at the COYS “True Greats” auction, an amount which could be considered low given its rarity of the car.

It is worth noting that before Onassis gave the Lamborghini to Kokota, he asked for the color to be changed and the classic green to become dark brown, while aluminum frames were placed on the air vents, special gear levers, center console handle and the steering wheel was decorated with aluminum details.