The Brumos Collection

By: Dan Vaughan

The Brumos Collection, located at 5159 San Pablo Road South, recently opened its doors to the public, with viewings on Thursdays and Fridays from 10 a.m. to 3p.m (and one Saturday a month). Although they rarely use the word 'museum', the mission and purpose of the Brumos Collection are much like that of a museum. It is hoped that the facility, passion, and knowledge will create a living environment for automotive and auto-racing enthusiasts, and inspire future generations.

Most of the cars on display are drivable - and driven. Since many are often shown at concours, vintage races and other events, the collection rotates on occasion. The museum is divided into two sections, the Forerunners and the Frontrunners. The forerunners showcase older, mostly open wheeled cars, while the Frontrunners section displays the Porsche and Brumos legacy.

Group and club tours are available with advanced booking based on availability. Tours are available 15 minutes past the hour beginning at 10am with the last tour at 3pm. All tickets must be purchased prior to arrival at the collection. No tickets will be available on-site.

Brumos Dealership History

Hubert Brundage was the owner of a Volkswagen shop called Brundage Motors in Miami Springs. After he relocated to Jacksonville, he became the sole Volkswagen distributor in three states. A racing enthusiast, in 1955 he became the first individual to compete with a Porsche outside of Europe. He soon became the Porsche distributor for the Southeast and named his new operation Brumos, formed from BRUndage MOtorS.

In 1960, Brundage raced a Porsche under the Brumos banner at Sebring. In 1964, his life was cut short following a highway accident.

The Brumos Dealership was acquired by Peter Gregg in 1965. Gregg was also a motorsports enthusiast, earning his first major sports car race victory in 1966. During one of his race outings in 1967, Gregg met Hurley Haywood, which eventually led to a racing partnership in 1969. Hurley Haywood first raced in IMSA in 1971, while still enlisted in the Army. He co-drove with Peter Gregg that year in a Porsche 914/6, capturing the first IMSA GT Championship title. After his Army discharge, in late 1971, Haywood moved to Jacksonville near the Brumos shop where a 2.5 liter 911S was being prepared for the 1972 season.

The tangerine #59 Brumos Porsche 911S competed in all 10 Camel GT races of 1972, and for the second year in a row, Haywood was IMSA's top driver. Although he generally co-drove with Gregg, Haywood drove solo in shorter events as Peter competed in the CAN-AM series. The championship came down to the final lap of the final race with Haywood securing the win.

During his racing career, Haywood would capture ten major endurance victories, including three 24 Hours of LeMans victories, two wins at the 12 Hours of Sebring, and five Daytona 24 Hour wins. He would later become a Vice President at Brumos.

Mr. Gregg passed away in 1980, and his window, Deborah, continued the Brumos Racing operation. In 1985, they became one of the first (if not the first...and possibly only) dealerships to offer a driving program for Porsche buyers.

In 1990, the company was acquired by a businessman and racing enthusiast named Dan Davis, along with Brumos general manager Bob Snodgrass. Mr. Davis is the former chairman of the Winn-Dixie Stores Inc. grocery chain, which was founded by his father, J.E. Davis, uncles and grandfather.

Under Mr. Davis and Mr. Snodgrass's leadership, the Brumos racing component continued, with both individuals recognizing that much of the company's success was due, in part, to the racing accomplishments.

In 2004, Mr. Davis retired as chairman and from the Winn-Dixie board in 2004 after working for the company for over 35 years, including as principal executive officer from 1982 through 1999.

In 2015, Brumos Porsche was acquired by the Field Automotive Group, bringing an end to the Brumos banner and replaced by new signage.

Brumos Racing History

Brumos Racing of Jacksonville, Florida, was established in 1971 by Peter Gregg as part of the IMSA GT Championships and sponsored by the Brumos Porsche dealership. Brumos raced Porsche GT cars supplied by the dealership before entering into the Gran-AM competition with Brumos Porsche Fabcar prototypes. Mr. Snodgrass had been instrumental in the formation of the Gran-Am Rolex racing series.

A team of Brumos Porsche GT3 cars raced for two years before retiring in April of 2013. The switch from prototype racing to GT racing was done to 'race what we sell.' The number 59 Brumos Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car made its racing debut in the GT class in 2011, and would emerge as the Grand-Am Rolex Series GT champion at the close of the season.

During the Brumos racing career, the team won the 24 Hours of Daytona on four occasions. Peter Gregg and Hurley Haywood won in 1973 and 1975 in a Porsche Carrera RSR. In 1978, Peter Gregg returned to Daytona, this time in a Porsche 935/77, where he and co-drivers Rolf Stommelen and Toine Hezemans claimed the team's third victory. Many years later, in 2009, David Donohue, Antonio García, Darren Law and Buddy Rice won the race in a Riley Mk XI with a Porsche engine.

The Brumos racing operation lasted for over five decades. During those years, the Brumos team and its racing colors have become iconic, respected, and known around the world.

Number 59 History

Brumos racing was formed in 1959. There are 59 parking spaces in the lot behind the Brumos collection. Both of these are coincidences. The history and association with the number 59 dates farther back in history, when Peter Gregg was in the Navy (Intelligence Officer). While flying over the USS Forestall Aircraft Carrier CVA 59 at the Jacksonville naval port, the number '59' on the deck and on the conning tower really caught his eye. After acquiring Brumos Porsche, Peter changed his race car start numbers to what is known as one of the most famous Porsche racecar numbers. Most, but not all, Brumos race cars wear that famous number.

The Brumos Collection Facility

The Brumos Collection was originally a private collection stored on-site at the Brumos car dealerships in Jacksonville, Florida. The automotive collection consisted of racing artifacts, historical documents, and many national and international award-winning cars. Over the years, the collection has grown in size, scope, and significance.

The private collection was viewed by invitation only, without photographs, and very few people knew about it. Initially that was the plan for the new facility. Early on, it was decided that the collection needed to be shared with the public.

Just like any puzzle, it takes time to figure out all the pieces before realizing the big picture. In this case, the years of eclectic collecting has resulted in a focused automotive museum that showcases many world-renowned automotive masters, the evolution of motorsports, and the innovations that followed. The purpose is to educate, share, and to increase awareness of automotive history.

On January 20th of 2020, the Brumos Collection was officially opened to the public in a 35,000 square-foot interactive museum dedicated to history, innovation, and technology of the Brumos legacy.

In 1924, Henry Ford opened a 165,000 square-foot plant in Jacksonville, Florida. The design of the purpose-built Brumos Collection facility pays homage to Jacksonville's automotive heritage and auto racing history. Among the features inspired by the local Ford plant include the large skyrocketed windows and the skylights.

The guard rails along the roadways are reminiscent of the guard rails found along the tracks of a bygone era, and a board track walkway leads to the building entrance. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway 'Brickyard' is honored with the brickwork that surrounds the walkway. Innovation and technology is demonstrated by many of the vehicles on display.

The Cars

Forerunners

Housed in the collection are over three dozen race and collector cars, the earliest is a 1914 Peugeot L45. Although never raced wearing Brumos colors or powered by a Porsche engine, the car demonstrates technology that was earned at the track and transformed automobile production forever. It was powered by the world's first dual overhead camshaft engine and was ground-zero for all high-performance engine's that followed. Jules Goux driving a Peugeot became the first foreigner to win the Indy 500, and Georges Boillot (along with Paolo Zuccarelli) was the first winner of the French Grand Prix.

The engine within the Peugeot is a dual overhead cam unit, the first of its kind. The evolution and progression of this engine technology is told in the well curated forerunners section, particularly through several Miller race cars and a Bugatti. The Miller/Offenhauser engines were so competitive that they won every Indy 500 from 1933 to 1938 and again in 1941. Beginning in 1947 and lasting to 1964, the Miller/Offenhauser engines would dominate at Indy.

The 1923 Miller 122 on display at the Brumos was the first American race car bought solely to race in Europe. The Bugatti racer named Count Louis Zborowski raced it in England, Spain and France. Other Millers on display include a 1930 Miller Indy car, a 1926 Miller Model 91, and the 1919 Miller TNT Special.

The Bugatti Type 35 is known as a Lyon model, named for the debut location. It was delivered to the Bugatti Agent in Paris and was purchased by Wallis Clinton Bird, an American honeymooning in Paris. Although he owned the car, Bird was not a committed race driver. He raced the car once, in 1937, suffering a cracked steering box. The car has had only four owners, including the Brumos Collection.

The Kurtis Novi Indy Boattail Racer was the first of the true Novi cars. It was designed in late 1945 and early 1946 by Bud Winfield and Leo Goossen. Frank Kurtis built the front drive chassis in early 1946. The 183 cubic-inch V8 engine breathes through three Winfield carburetors and offers a staggering 510 horsepower at 7,500 RPM. The 1,919 pound vehicle has an 85 gallon steel fuel tank and unofficially broke the 140 mph barrier in 1953. They were among the fastest cars of their era, but were never able to win at the Indianapolis 500.

A few grand touring cars sit among the racing cars, including an Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B, a Duesenberg Model J, and a Cord L-29. Both the Cord and the Duesenberg wear coachwork by Murphy. The Duesenberg Convertible Coupe rested on the shortened 142.5-inch wheelbase and was the 87th car built. As an early example, it has several early features such as the exposed V-core radiator, a single windshield wiper, and the concealed horn. The original owner, upon delivery, had the car sent back to the factory so the tan canvas top could be replaced with a black leather covering which is still on the car today.

The Cord L-29 on display is one of just four with the Town Car bodystyle. It is a highly original, short wheelbase example with rear-mounted spare tires, and believed to have been once owned by Dolores Del Rio. It has been sympathetically maintained throughout the years and retains its original look and feel of another period.

The Alfa Romeo 8C was the 2017 Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance 'Best in Show, Concours de Sport' winner. It is one of approximately 32 of the 2.9 chassis and one of perhaps 12 Touring Spiders, seven of which were built on the long chassis like this car. It has a known history that dates to 1949, some of which includes racing in Brazil. At one point in its history it was powered by a Corvette engine!

Other non-Porsche display cars include Mark Martin's 1992 Ford Thunderbird NASCAR stock car and a 1958 Watson sprint car, among others.

Frontrunners

During a special event signifying the grand opening of the museum, Brumos unveiled the newest addition to the collection, a 1970 Gulf-liveried Porsche 917K driven by Steve McQueen in the racing film 'Le Mans.' It was initially used for Le Mans testing before being featured in the McQueen film. It awoke and emerged from its slumber in 2001, having been resting in a barn for over two decades. It was given a restoration than displayed at select events, its last public appearance was in 2017.

Another new arrival to the collection is a 1968 Porsche 908 that raced and won at the Nürburgring 1000 km where it was piloted by Jo Siffert and Vic Elford. The 908 began in the 27th position and by the end of the first lap was in second place. By the end of the second lap, it was the front runner, setting a lap record. After 44 laps around the 14-mile course, the car had proven its dominance and was claimed the victor.

1972 was the last of the tangerine Porsches at Brumos and 1973 saw the introduction of the now familiar red, white and blue livery. The #59 Porsche 917/10, chassis number 007, was the first race car of any type to wear Brumos' famous red over blue stripes upon white livery with the famous Brumos 'sweeps.' It was a Can-Am racer powered by a twin-turbocharged engine capable of speeds exceeding 200 mph at 1100 horsepower. Peter Gregg raced the car to a 9th place finish in the 1972 Can-Am Championship, followed by Hurley Haywood's 3rd place finish in the 1973 Can-Am Series season.

For 1977, the new Porsche 935 was finally allowed to compete in the 24 Hours of Daytona. However, Hurley Haywood was not convinced the new cars had the reliability needed to make it to the finish. Instead, he accepted an invitation from John Graves to join him and Dr. Dave Helmick in the one-year-old 'Ecurie Escargot' 934 RSR. The car worked its way toward the lead in the Daytona 24 Hour race after qualifying mid-field. During the night, Hurley took the lead after a marathon eight-hour double driving shift. Chased through the night by the trouble-plagued Turbo Porsches, Hurley maintained his lead, and won the third Daytona victory in just four races.

Among the other Porsche vehicles in the collection are a 2011 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car raced by Andrew Davis and Leh Keen, a Formula Vee racer, and a Porsche tractor.

Conclusion

The Brumos Collection tells many different stories, among them are the history of automobile production in Jacksonville, the evolution of motorsports, the Brumos team (the cars, accomplishments, and individuals), Hurley Haywood's racing career, and the vision and dedication of a knowledgeable and generous collector. This is a worthwhile and educational experience that the automotive enthusiast should not miss.