Brumos Porsche News

Spring always marks the beginning of a busy season for automotive enthusiasts in our area and this year is no exception.  The 15th annual Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance kicked things off for 2010 with something for everyone, from the cars of Honorary Chairman Richard Petty to a celebration of the Cuban Grand Prix.  Porsche also played a key role with one of the most popular collections of the show, featuring a lineup of Porsche 917’s in celebration of the 40^th anniversary of their Daytona and Le Mans wins. The Brumos Raceshop team put in long hours preparing the historic Brumos Porsche 917-10 for the show and their hard work paid off, as Brumos earned The Bob Carlson Porsche Trophy for the Most Historically Significant Porsche.

The car was being driven onto the field in the early morning when the slow pace and frequent stops took a toll on a car never designed for stop-and-go traffic. It was pushed to its designated spot on the field after stalling, so the Brumos crew quickly set to work to get it running again. The drama drew a large crowd of delighted spectators to what some called ‘a virtual pit stop’.  It was discovered that the uneven ground affected the fueling process, and the 917 soon roared to life to collect the trophy it had earned.  Hurley Haywood did the honors, stepping back into the cockpit of his former race car and driving it up to the podium to accept the award. 

If seeing Haywood driving his Brumos Porsche 917-10 again wasn’t enough for Porsche fans in attendance, there were plenty of other vintage cars and famous people to see, from Derek Bell and Vic Elford to current drivers such as Butch Leitzinger, who joined the Brumos #59 team for this year’s Rolex 24 at Daytona.  The Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance remains one of the most successful charitable events in our area year after year and Brumos is pleased to participate in such a prestigious and worthy effort.

* After wrapping up his weekend at Amelia Island, Hurley Haywood was on his way to Sebring to collect another honor, as he was inducted into the Sebring Sports Car Racing Hall of Fame on March 19th.  Holding the all-time record for career starts at Sebring with a total of 28, he won the Sebring 12 Hours race twice, in addition to his other celebrated endurance wins – five times at Daytona and three times at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.  He earned his first class victory at Sebring in 1972, then followed it up with a victory in the very first IMSA-sanctioned Sebring race in 1973. The Sebring Hall of Fame was formed in 2002 and is dedicated to preserving Sebring’s legacy of sports car endurance racing.  Hurley’s latest award is now on display in the Brumos Porsche showroom.

*Mark your calendars for a big celebration on April 24^th as Brumos joins the Florida Crown Region PCA for their 50^th anniversary.  Events lined up for the day include a Swap Meet at Brumos Porsche, a Rally, a Concours d’Elegance and an Anniversary Dinner that evening at the TPC at Sawgrass Clubhouse. For details about each event, visit the Florida Crown Region website at www.pcafcr.org.   Brumos Porsche is pleased to congratulate our FCR friends on reaching this significant milestone, and look forward to joining them in this day of celebration.