A week before Dimis Mavropoulos, a prominent Limassol businessman and founder of the Museum of Historic and Classic Cars of Cyprus, died when a sudden storm struck his boat off Cape Greco, a lifelong friend tried to persuade him to leave the area. Mavropoulos refused, saying it would not be the first time he had faced rough seas. Andreas Tsouloftas, President of the Limassol Chamber of Commerce and Industry (EVEL) and of ETAP Limassol, has now shared that final exchange, along with a personal portrait of a friendship that spanned more than four decades.
A friendship forged in rally racing
Speaking to CNA, Tsouloftas said he had known Mavropoulos since 1984, when the two competed together in rally racing. A week before the accident, he was staying on a friend's boat moored beside Mavropoulos's own vessel, where Mavropoulos was spending the summer with his partner and daughter.
The last warning
"We went over by dinghy to his boat and told him that everyone was planning to leave, because the weather was about to turn, but he told us he would stay for another week," Tsouloftas recalled. He said that when urged to leave, Mavropoulos replied it was not the first time he would face rough seas. According to Tsouloftas, Mavropoulos brought to the sea the same confidence that had carried him through decades of motorsport, and believed he could manage the conditions as he had in the past. "No one expected such intense winds and such waves," Tsouloftas said, adding that he received continuous updates from friends in the area as events unfolded last Saturday. He described Mavropoulos as someone who "was always willing to take risks, believing he would come through, but the sea does not forgive and demands respect."
"A man of rich character"
Tsouloftas remembered Mavropoulos as "a man of rich character, a larger-than-life figure who loved Limassol and gave a great deal to it." As a board member of EVEL and ETAP Limassol, he said, Mavropoulos was rigorous in his attendance at meetings and a warm, constant presence at events promoting the city and its development. At EVEL's scheduled session next Monday, Tsouloftas said, his absence will be keenly felt, and the chamber will discuss proposals to pay tribute to him. He also confirmed EVEL's readiness to support the Museum of Historic and Classic Cars of Cyprus, which Mavropoulos founded in 2014 and which holds a large collection of rare and classic vehicles, describing it as a personal vision he had spent years building.
Questions over the emergency response
Tsouloftas also offered his own view of the wider circumstances, calling the incident "a truly sorrowful event" and saying that, in his opinion, "there was a delay on the part of the services." He argued the Port and Marine Police, which he said has a large and experienced vessel available, could have helped had it reached the area in time. This is Tsouloftas's personal assessment rather than a confirmed finding, and no response from the Port and Marine Police is included in the source material.
Tributes from the classic car community
In a statement issued the same day, the Museum of Historic and Classic Cars of Cyprus and the Club of Historic and Classic Vehicles of Cyprus expressed deep sorrow "at the unjust and untimely loss of the museum and club's beloved founder, Dimis Mavropoulos." The statement described him as "a man of boundless love and passion for cars" who "devoted a large part of his life to giving, to philanthropy and to society," adding that his love for his native Limassol "was distinct and deep." His loss, it continued, leaves a huge void in the hearts of those who had the honour of knowing him and sharing his passion for cars, philanthropy and the country. The museum said it will remain closed until the funeral service has taken place, with the date and time to be announced.
