A love of cars, bikes and collecting runs deep in the veins of the founders of Benzina Stables, which bills itself as Melbourne’s premier haven for luxury and collector vehicles.
For a bloke that has been a professional motorcycle stunt rider for 20 years, Luke Follacchio looks in remarkably good fettle as he shows us around Benzina Stables, the collector car warehouse in the inner-north Melbourne suburb of Preston he founded with business partner and friend Kristian Palumbo in 2022.
The man known by fans as ‘Lukey Luke’ called time on his stunt riding career in 2022, with a final appearance at the 2022 Motul World SBK Championship at Phillip Island in 2022, just months before he and Kristian opened Benzina’s doors.
“I’d been collecting motorcycles over the years, and accumulated quite a few, up to around the 40 mark, and identified that storage was an issue,” Luke tells us.
“Kristian and I’ve known each other for 15 years or so, and a mutual friend said, ‘Hey, talk to Kristian. He’s been talking about something similar for a while.’”
The pair met for coffee, worked on the concept and business model over a period of months, and before long identified the 3000m2 warehouse space in Preston that is now the home of Benzina Stables.
“We both knew a few motorcycle and car collectors, so we knew that space for most people was an issue. Personally, I’m not a multi-millionaire and I had this issue, so I knew that it would appeal to a broad range of people and not necessarily just high net-worth individuals.
“We are an enthusiast-focused business, and ‘enthusiast’ doesn’t just mean million-dollar supercars. It can mean a $40,000 Moke or a $10,000 Falcon.
“We have a guy who stores his XE Fairmont with us. It was his dad’s car and holds sentimental value for him. He doesn’t use it, but he wants it to be safe, stored securely and kept in running condition. So, we keep it on trickle charge, we start it every six weeks, we check the tyre pressures, rotate the tyres to prevent flat spotting. We do all the things that he found it difficult to find the time to do.”
Luke explains that they wanted the business to appeal to a broad cross-section of collectors, basically anyone wanting secure storage for their cars or motorcycles.
“The way we’ve priced it, it’s not unreasonable. It’s a considered cost and relative to what might be a storage issue or a security issue.”
Benzina Stables’ pricing is tiered, starting at $499 per month for a basic long-term secure storage option where the owner doesn’t need to access the car too often, all the way up to more expensive tailored packages that include regular washes, quick access, and a concierge-style service where Benzina Stables will take care of everything from servicing, to repairs, detailing and more.
“We’ve got a premium package where your car’s basically next to the front door. You can just roll in at any time, without notice, collect the car and roll out. Others packages require an hour’s notice. So, depending on how you would like to use your car, we can facilitate it.
“We also have short-term solutions (sub-three months) for people going away and looking for their cars to stay secure while they might be overseas for a month or so.”
The well-maintained warehouse is buzzing the day we visit, with Shane Jacobson and the Retro Rides crew filming up front, and cars being fired up periodically as Luke shows us through the facility.
Among the rows of neatly parked machines are everything from a Mini Moke California to sleek Italian supercars, some beneath covers, others stacked in compactors, while the warehouse walls are adorned with a selection of late-model superbikes, many of which are part of Luke’s private collection.
“We can comfortably store up to 140 cars and around 60 bikes out back here, and then we’ve got our showroom up front where we can display another 20 to 25 vehicles for sale.”
Like the storage side of the business, the cars Benzina Stables sell represent a broad church, with Luke recalling how in the same day he sold a bog-stock XF Falcon complete with rear Venetian blind for $17,000 and a Porsche GT RS for $750,000, with both buyers equally excited by their purchase.
“That’s the best part about, you know, the enthusiast level. If it’s a $700k car that gees you up, that’s great. Likewise, a $20k car is just as exciting to some owners. The experience and the emotions are the same.”
The windowless warehouse was selected for its security, with the only access via the front pedestrian doors which are locked at night, along with steel roller doors protected by bollards.
“We’ve also got 24-hour security surveillance, remotely monitored, so it’s a highly secure facility and a lot of our clients find that they can save on their [insurance] premiums by storing their cars with us, because they are less likely to be stolen.”
In addition to secure storage, vehicle detailing and servicing, Benzina Stables also offers comprehensive pre-purchase inspections, transport solutions, and exclusive memberships to bespoke events for its collector community.
The latter includes a partnership with drive-day specialist DriveWithCam which will see Benzina Stables host a selection of its owners on Victoria-based legs of the Australian Tarmac Rally Series during 2026.
“Our owners will get to experience Mt Buller and Falls Creek on closed roads, and in a controlled environment. They get to use both sides of the road with no oncoming traffic, which is something not a lot of people can experience.”
Luke’s business partner Kristian Palumbo says camaraderie is a key part of Benzina Stables’ appeal, along with the obvious security and convenience.
“We’ve got one gentleman that leaves his Ferrari here. He’s got a 10-car man cave. He’s got the room to keep his Ferrari at home but he loves coming here, loves the people he meets, the things that we do,” Kristian explains.
“We make him a coffee, introduce him to other clients… one might be a concreter, the other a corporate CEO, and they get talking and before long they’re trading number plates or buying a watch off each other.”
In addition to driving his personal LS V8-powered BMW M3 competitively, it turns out Kristian is also a dab hand at operating the Wega espresso machine located in the café-style foyer where Shane Jacobson and the Retro Rides crew were wrapping up filming.
It’s a nice spot to sit and enjoy the dazzling array of collector cars and bikes on display as we wrap up our tour of Benzina Stables, “Melbourne’s premier haven for luxury and collector vehicles.”
