Zero to hero: Racing team owner’s incredible high rise

He started from ‘zero’ – living in a caravan made by his father – but has hit legend status, saving an Aussie icon, selling off luxury homes, and giving money away.

He started from ‘zero’ – living in a wooden caravan made by his father – but has become a legend, buying luxury homes, saving an Aussie icon, building racetracks and giving money away.

Meet Tony Quinn, a richlister born in Scotland who spends his life between Queensland and Queenstown, whose most recent housing purchase is a far cry from wooden caravans – an $8.03m luxury penthouse in the exclusive Abian Residences in Brisbane that’s now his main home.

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Tony Quinn, who sold his VIP Petfoods stake for $415m in 2015, with his Porsche RSR. He has kept his passion for racing going as soon as he could afford it.

Inside his stunning new penthouse – the only property in his personal name right now.

He even entitled his memoirs Zero to 60 – with many insinuations linked to racing and his personal growth.

“I grew up in a wooden caravan in Aberdeen in Scotland,” Mr Quinn said. “My late father, Jimmy Quinn was in the pet food business. We weren’t what you’d call impoverished but we were poor for a long time.”

“I didn’t win the lottery, my parents never gave me a handout and I never got an inheritance. I’m a self-made man and that’s something I’m very proud of,” he tells his Tony Quinn Foundation – set up in 2021 to fund talented racing drivers.

Mr Quinn has moved in very high circles these past few decades having made an absolute fortune of $415m selling his VIP Pet Foods business in 2015, and then a further $200m after rescuing and then reselling the Darrell Lea sweets empire.

Tony Quinn during a hot lap in his Lamborghini Huracan at Symmons Plains.

His Brisbane home base looks directly out over the new Kangaroo Point footbridge.

He bought his newest home – a four bedroom 324sq m penthouse – off energy heir Philip St Baker, son of billionaire Trevor St Baker, who in turn had paid $5m over four years ago to take it off Nava Abedian, wife of the building’s developer Sahba Abedian.

The sale by Place Kangaroo Point occurred on July 2 but was only recently included in public property records. It has three parking spots allocated to it.

Mr Quinn has been doing a Marie Kondo, clearing his property collection including selling off a five bedroom waterfront mansion on Hope Island for $19.7m in March this year. Ray White Sanctuary Cove oversaw that sale which was a solid $2m profit in two years for the richlister.

Mr Quinn’s Triple Eight Race Engineering co-owner Jamie Whincup, pictured ahead of the Gold Coast 500. Picture: Glenn Campbell

He paid $8.03m for the property.

He now owns 40 per cent of Triple Eight Race Engineering – partnering with star driver Jamie Whincup who is managing director and holds a 30 per cent stake.

Mr Quinn’s enduring passion is racing, and he now controls the most used racetrack Queensland – Queensland Raceway which he bought the rights to in 2021 for $12m, plus he has three others in New Zealand – Hampton Downs, Highlands Motorsport Park which he built and Taupo.

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Originally published as Zero to hero: Racing team owner’s incredible high rise