1975 Porsche 934 RSR Coupe

The 1977 24 Hours of Daytona was the first race of the 1977 season and what later became known as IMSA's 'Turbo Era.' Regulations finally allowed the new Porsche 935 to compete in the 24 Hours. Not satisfied with the reliability of the new cars, Hurley Haywood accepted an invitation from John Graves to join him and Dr. Dave Helmick in the one-year-old 'Ecurie Escargot' (French for 'Team Snail' and a clever play on Ecurie Ecosse - Team Scottland - which won Le Mans twice in the 1950s) RSR. The car was built by Hans Mandt, IMSA Mechanic of the Year in 1970 and 1971. The car as it appears here is exactly as it raced in 1977 with a modified Brumos paint scheme. 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. Haywood was well known for his love of night racing, but even he was surprised by this directive: 'After my qualifying run, my teammates John Graves and Dave Helmick came to me and said, 'We don't want to drive at night. We don't' like it. We're going to keep you in there as long as possible.'

'That was an eight-hour shift. I'd jump in, run three tanks of gas, come in and sneak into a makeshift cubby during refueling, switch helmets, and go back out. Next, my helmet, then another of theirs.'

'I think IMSA's chief steward knew what was going on. He figured as long as I kept on the road and didn't run into anyone, he'd let me go until I got tired.'

Chased through the night by the trouble-plagued Turbo Porsches, Hurley maintained his lead and won the third Daytona victory in just four races. An ecstatic Porsche rewarded Haywood with a drive at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. He and seasoned Le Mans teammates Jacky Ickx and head of Porsche's customer liaison Juergen Barth won that race outright, making Haywood the first driver in history to win Daytona and Le Mans in the same year.