The founder of the museum, Mr. Dimi Mavropoulos was born in Limassol in 1949 and began his rallying career as a teenager…
By the age of twenty, he had already won numerous local events and in 1969 began to drive for Ford, Mitsubishi and then for Chrysler/Talbot Cyprus team where he remained their leading driver for many years achieving and maintaining his status as one of the top drivers/entrants in the Cyprus Championship.
1969
In 1969 Dimi Mavropoulos moved to London to establish the European office for his family’s fruit export business. He thus entered the British and the European Rally Cross scene and began what turned out to be a highly successful Rallying career while still returning home to participate in the Cyprus Rally Championship. He drove a variety of cars such as factory prepared Ford Escorts, followed by Lotus Esprit S2, Talbot Sunbeam Lotus’s and ultimately Audi Quattro and Mitsubishi Evo 9.
1985
In 1985, with the development of the revolutionary Gp B Audi Quattro rally car Dimi Mavropoulos began to dominate rally-cross in UK and Europe and rallying in Cyprus.
1986
In 1986, he won the Cyprus Championship for the first time and finished the Rothmans International Cyprus Rally in second place- behind the Lancia driven by Patrick Snijers, the European champion of the same year.
1987 & ’88
In 1987 & ‘88, as the regulations for international rallies changed to group A , he entered factory prepared Ford Sierras supplied by Ford UK Motorsport for the Rothmans International Cyprus Rally while driving for Audi for the Cyprus Championship.
1990
Dimi Mavropoulos won the Championship again in 1988 and in 1990 – when he set an all-time record by winning all seven Championship events including the Rothmans International Cyprus Rally
With the FIA’S decision to end all Gp B entries in 1989, Dimi Mavropoulos continued with Audi Gp A cars (Audi Coupe Quattro 1989/90 Audi 90 Quattro B-3 in 1991).
1992
In the 1992 Cyprus Rally Championship, Dimi Mavropoulos entered a factory prepared Gp A Ford Sapphire RS Cosworth 4×4 with full support from
Mobil Oil Cyprus – his main sponsor for the past 12 years. Finishing second in the Cyprus Championship, he recorded an excellent second place overall (first Cypriot driver) in the prestigious Rothmans Cyprus International Rally. (When Alex Fiorio won in a factory prepared Lancia Integrale)
1993
In 1993, Dimi Mavropoulos’ entry for the Cyprus Rally Championship was with a brand new factory built Gp A Ford Escort Cosworth RS 4×4. While taking part in only five out of seven events he took second place in the Championship and finished 5th overall in the Rothmans Cyprus International Rally despite the problems he encountered all season.
1994
In 1994 he continued to be with the Mobil 1 Ford Escort Cosworth 4X4 entering the Cyprus Rally championship. Ford Competitions Department in U.K. helped Dimi Mavropoulos and his car for some gravel testing and development. Dimi Mavropoulos finished 3rd overall in the Rothmans Cyprus Rally. This gave him another FIA “B” seeding for 1995.
1995
In 1995 Dimi Mavropoulos built a new Audi S2 Quattro Rally car for group “A” but due to factory withdrawal of rallying Dimi Mavropoulos stopped the project.
With over forty-five years of rallying experience, Dimi Mavropoulos holds the best finishing record of any Cypriot driver in the Rothmans International Rally and most overall placing in all the Cyprus Championships to date.
2014
After the end of his driving career his passion turned to Classic and Vintage Cars. His “Dream Come true” is the establishing of Cyprus Historic & Classic Motor Museum in 2014.