For car enthusiast Chris Sikavitsas his passion is an infection.

“The passion really was more an infection that started from my father, who was a car and bike nut,” he tells Neos Kosmos.

“He always liked the American cars, saw them on the big screen when he was in Greece and always wanted to own one.

“And with dad being a car nut and a rough head who loved anything mechanical, my brother and I just got infected with that.”

Chris’s father is the late businessman, community leader and benefactor Nicholas Sikavitsas, who along with the Spyrou family, formed Kastoria Bus Lines and then later on his own Tullamarine Bus Lines.

“Working in the bus industry, we were surrounded by all things mechanical, developed a real passion for driving, appreciating, maintaining, working on cars, and that’s how it started,” Chris says.

Chris is a company director and car wash operator – a fitting occupation to match his interests. He is also on the board of the Greek Community of Melbourne.

When asked what he gets out of his car collection, he says he loves looking at them, tinkering with them, and certainly loves driving them.

But deeper down he feels in each one of them is another soul for “there is stories in every car”.

“I mean, the Mini, our story with the Mini is we had one when we were very young and we grew up learning how to drive in it,” he says.

“It was much later I found out that a Greek designed the Mini, Dr Alec Issigonis.

So he’s the father of the mini. It’s funny that we’ve got two Minis, which actually have Greek roots. It’s pretty cool.”

One of the cars, a silver 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS 454 was his dream car growing up and he finally made it a reality five or six years ago.

Another is a car that has been in his family for 56 years and is now owned by his brother Jim.

A 1966 Chevrolet Chevelle SS 396.

It was his dad’s dream car and was the daily car for years, carrying yiayia and papou, grandkids and all.

The car even took home the award for ‘Best Convertible’ at the Summernats 15 car festival in 2002.

The newest car in the collection is a Mercedes, and while not a classic it has become a special addition because he gets to share the joy with his partner Penny Tomaras.

“It wasn’t until I basically had met Penny and we jumped in that Mercedes that I realised how much she enjoyed sports cars,” he says.

“I found out that she’s a bit of a rev head, likes to have a bit of fun behind the wheel just like all of us and that’s great.

“It’s just another way to share the things that we enjoy.”

Penny has been getting lessons in the car down at the track, doing some high-speed driving at the likes of Sandown Raceway.

“I’ve always had a love for fast cars but I’ve never really driven any before I met Chris,” she tells Neos Kosmos.

“But I’ve always had a passion for it. I love the noise. I used to go to the Formula One and just sit outside and listen to the cars.

“I didn’t go in, but I was outside listening and just loved the sound of them.”

It’s not just cars in the collection, but motorbikes too.

Chris and Jim loved bikes from young and even though their father did too, he didn’t let them own any.

He remembers Jim buying one and their dad saying “you got one week to get rid of it before I burn it”.

“He was just afraid of what might happen,” Chris says.

“I think it was helpful being a little bit older to really enjoy riding a bike because you’re more mature and a little bit more sensible, a bit wiser.

“We ride and drive for enjoyment and we want to be around to enjoy it again.”

Jim is currently building a bike and while his two sons have no interest in all things mechanical, his daughter is completely interested and is building it with him.

“She’s the one who has photographed a little bit of the story between me and my brother and our cars, and she’s the one who’s interested in the story. Jots things down to make sure the story doesn’t get lost,” Chris says.

One of the bikes in the collection is a BMW that previously belonged to cultural historian, author and regular Neos Kosmos contributor Nikos Papastergiadis.

Chris has asked him that when he writes his memoirs one day, which should include the story of the bike, to give him a copy to keep with the bike.

“I think it belongs to the bike. Whoever has the bike in the future is the custodian of that story,” he says.

It’s a similar case with a 25th Anniversary Lamborghini Countach that his dad owned.

The car had been built to come to Australia, was picked up in Italy, driven around Greece and registered in Switzerland.

“My dad loved driving that thing. He never listened to any music in it though, he just liked to listen to the sound of the engine,” Chris says.

“We were very lucky because he trusted us to drive the car. He’d even let us put on the racetrack at Sandown a number of times.

The Lambo also had a plaque saying it was constructed for Mr. N. Sikavitsas, and when he sold the car he was going to take it off but the new owner said ‘no, the plaque stays with the car. That’s the story of the car. It might be mine, but it’ll always be yours’.

Now Chris’s nephew Niko, Jim’s has told the family that one day he’s going to buy his papou’s car back.

“I’m really hoping the kid does really well early on in life so he can find it and then I can drive it again.”