Also in my garage: classic British automobilia

Athens native Trakadas has been collecting since he was 10, starting with LPs and quickly moving to a 200cc Vespa he restored himself.

He prefers items from before 1970, although there are a few exceptions – such as a ’70s Shell fuel pump bought from the nearby service station that his parents frequented when he was a child.

All of Trakadas’ collection is older than he is, at 32, which he attributes both to a love of aged things and a passion for rejuvinating objects with his own hands.

Although Trakadas no longer rides his BMW ’bike, the pedal car is still used for taking his daughter around classic car shows

“I restored the Castrol oil cabinet three years ago,” he says. “I found it online and imported it. Castrol is my favourite brand, and the collection is really made by the ‘pin-up’ painting I have.

“I saw Tony Upson’s work in Classic & Sports Car and emailed him saying how much I loved his paintings, although I couldn’t afford to buy anything.

“We kept in touch anyway, and a few years later I told him about a load of stuff I had bought from Castrol Classic Oils, and he sent me this as a gift. I am so grateful for it, this is the only opportunity I would have to own something like this.”

Castrol is Trakadas’ favourite brand

Trakadas’ fondness for British automobilia has led him to drive to Britain multiple times and has yielded a large Matchbox collection – “they were bought seven years ago before the prices went crazy” – and 220 two-gallon petrol cans.

“They are just a few pounds in Britain, but they don’t exist in Greece,” he says.

With native Greek items so rare, however, many of Trakadas’ favourite pieces are those from the Balkans, including two Shell adverts from Limnos.

Assembling this varied collection has led Trakadas on various trips to Britain

Reading ‘petrol’ and ‘motor oil’ in Greek, the Shell signs were found in the back of a grocery store by Trakadas.

“The shop used to sell petrol, so it was used by the Germans as a service station during the war and the signs were taken down,” he explains.

“When I found them, they had been in storage for seven decades.”

A Moskvich pedal car from Bulgaria is also in the collection, a present for Trakadas’ daughter on her first birthday that is her transport at classic shows.

A vintage pinball machine is a fun addition to Trakadas’ garage

His daughter has affected Trakadas’ collection in one other way: he has given up riding the 1954 BMW motorcycle that he restored and rode every day for six years, along with all other two-wheeled transport.

“They were everywhere in the 1960s and 1970s, the two-wheeled equivalent to the Volkswagen Beetle,” says Trakadas.

“My favourite item of all, however, is a 1918 book on the use and maintenance of automobiles in the Greek language. It is very rare to find something that old in Greek.”

Images: George Stamatis

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