The beginning of brumos

Hubert Brundage established Brundage Motors in 1953 and became a Volkswagon importer. During this time, communication via Telex systems was commonly used so Brundage Motors was shortened to BruMos.

PETER GREGG LEADS THE TEAM

After Hubert Brundage’s untimely death from a tragic motorcycle accident in 1964, Peter Gregg, an avid racer and Harvard-educated naval air intelligence officer, acquired Brumos from the Brundage family. Throughout the next two decades, Peter guided Brumos and Brumos Racing to the international stage. Peter’s attention to detail and commitment to perfection led to the nickname “Peter Perfect”.

introduction of the now-famous #59

During his time in the Navy, Peter Gregg often flew into or over the Jacksonville-based USS Forrestal aircraft carrier, which proudly displayed its hull number “59” on its deck and hull. The number in its Navy font appealed to Peter. He later introduced 59 as the Brumos racing number. The red and blue stripes would lead to the iconic Brumos livery.

Racing’s dynamic duo pairs up

As a student at Jacksonville University, Hurley met, and beat, Peter Gregg at a local autocross competition. Peter took the “if you can’t beat them join them” approach to the situation and asked Hurley to drive with him at Watkins Glenn that year. After obtaining a NASCAR racing license on short notice, Hurley joined Peter for what would be Hurley’s first professional race and first professional victory. This race created a legendary racing team and sparked Hurley’s racing career. From that point forward, Hurley Haywood and Brumos would be interconnected.

A WINNING TRADITION

1973 was an important year for Brumos. The Brumos livery featuring the number 59 and red and blue racing sweeps made its first appearance. The team dominated various racing series, with a podium in the Can-Am series an monumental endurance victories at Daytona and Sebring. This was the first Brumos win at the 24 Hours of Daytona, a feat the team would achieve four times in its history.

deborah gregg era

After Peter’s unexpected passing, his wife Deborah assumed ownership of the dealerships and race team, while Bob Snodgrass remained as General Manager. In 1983, Deborah began racing under the Brumos flag herself and introduced an all-female team at Daytona with Bonnie Henn and Kathie Rude. The trio completed several other IMSA races after that.

BRUMOS PORSCHE TAKES SHAPE

In 1958, Brundage Motors became the Porsche importer for the southeastern United States and on September 1, 1959, Brumos Porsche was formally established as a Porsche Dealership.

return to imsa

In 1990, Bob Snodgrass joined forces with local businessman and car enthusiast Dan Davis to purchase Brumos from Deborah Gregg. Their first move after the acquisition was to return to professional racing. In ’91, ’92 and ’93, the team raced IMSA Supercar Series with drivers Hurley Haywood, Hans Stuck, and Walter Rohrl. Brumos would go on to help develop and compete in the Grand-Am Daytona Prototype series from 2003-2010.

the birth of a new class

Under the leadership of Bob Snodgrass, Brumos was at the helm of the development of the Daytona Prototype class in the early 2000s. The team raced with Red Bull and Brumos liveries and a Fabcar chassis in its early years, before switching to a Riley chassis in 2006 and cementing the team’s fourth and final win at the 2009 24 hours of Daytona, more than three decades after the third.

the legacy lives on

After the unexpected passing of Bob Snodgrass in 2007, Dan Davis assumes sole ownership of Brumos and continued Bob’s legacy in the Daytona Prototype class until 2010. In 2011, the Brumos team returned to its roots and entered GT racing once again, focusing on the motto “We Race What We Sell”. The effort resulted in a Grand-Am Championship with drivers Leh Keen and Andrew Davis.

the end of an era

After a victorious return to its roots more than half a century after its first miles on a track, the legendary Brumos Racing team retired from professional racing in 2013. Three years later, the Brumos dealerships and the famed Brumos Porsche franchise are sold to the Fields Automotive Group. The Brumos name and Brumos Racing franchise, however, were not included and would soon be reborn in a new capacity.

A NEW BEGINNING

A year after the sale of the dealerships, the seeds of a new Brumos story are planted. Design and construction begins for what will become The Brumos Collection, a 35,000 sq. ft. facility celebrating automotive and Brumos history. To further cement the brand’s Jacksonville legacy, the building would be inspired by the historic Ford Plant that opened in 1924 on the banks of the St. John’s river and established the city as a key automotive hub.

porsche honors brumos

In January 2019, Porsche unveiled a special Brumos celebration livery for their GT team to compete in at Daytona, Sebring and Le Mans during IMSA’s 50th Anniversary season. Two Porsche RSR with numbers 911 and 912 would carry the blue and red stripes and “sweeps” made famous by Brumos racing. In this special livery, the familiar solid stripes are actually comprised of a closely laid grid of the number 59. No entry number is more closely aligned with sports car racing than “59”. It and the Brumos paintwork became so synonymous with the sport that, despite never racing outside of North America, it remains instantly recognizable worldwide still today.

brumos begins anew

Sixty-seven years after Brundage Motors was first established, the Brumos legacy lives on at The Brumos Collection. Through a thoughtfully designed display, visitors will walk through automotive history from the very beginnings in the late 19th century to today, celebrating countless Brumos memories along the way. In a fitting nod to its racing roots, the Collection welcomed its first visitors just two days prior to that year’s 24 Hours of Daytona.

the return of the 59

Nearly a decade after retiring from racing, Brumos returned the iconic 59 and its red, white and blue livery to glory for the 100th running of the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, one of America’s oldest auto races. In his 120th competition with Brumos, driver David Donohue sought victory once more, 13 years after being part of the team delivering Brumos its fourth and final win at Daytona. David delivered, clinching the Time Attack 1 Championship and placing third overall. A year later, Brumos and Donohue repeated that victory, while also breaking the record for fastest Porsche up the mountain.

Want to dive deeper into the history? Brumos: An American Racing Icon by Sean Cridland covers the entire history of the Brumos team, going back to our roots in the early days of the 20th century, all the way up to the opening of the Brumos Collection in January 2020...and everything in between!

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THE STORY OF BRUMOS