Brumos: An American Racing Icon (by Sean Cridland) - Collector's Edition:
Picking up where the Brumos Edition left off, The Numbered Collector’s Edition (011–359) includes a fourth volume of special features, including comprehensive lists and photos of Brumos drivers, crew members, and cars; and several pages of photos not included in the Brumos Edition.
The Numbered Collector’s Edition also features an autograph sheet hand-signed by Jan Brundage, Jack Atkinson, Roger Penske, Jennifer Johnson (Gregg), Hurley Haywood, Deborah Gregg Howe, Dano Davis, Jim Busby, and Susan Snodgrass, along with author Sean Cridland, designer Richard Baron, and technical editor Kerry Morse. The signatures alone will make this volume a true investment in automotive history.
Volume I of Brumos: An American Racing Icon chronicles the historical events that led to the creation and development of one of the world’s most legendary teams.
The story of Brumos founder Hubert Brundage runs through several significant events in American history before the onset of the American sports-car craze of the 1950s. Catching his first glimpse of a Porsche at Watkins Glen in 1950 changed everything.
As he became one of American’s first Volkswagen franchisees, Brundage pitched himself into a battle to cleave a Porsche distributorship away from the legendary Max Hoffman. Merging his interests in motorsports and business — Brundage was a motivating force behind Formula Vee and ran cars for Bob Holbert and Roger Penske — Hubert was building Brumos into a major corporation when he died unexpectedly in late 1964.
After Brundage’s passing, a portion of his empire was purchased by Johnny von Neumann, who sold the Brumos Porsche dealership to aspiring racer Peter Gregg. Though it meant the end of one era, it also marked the dawn of Gregg era and a level of prominence that took Brumos to the top of the racing world. By end of Volume I, Gregg discovered the prodigious driving talent named Hurley Haywood.
Volume II of Brumos: An American Racing Icon describes the explosive 1970s when Peter Gregg, Hurley Haywood, Jack Atkinson, and Porsche owned American GT racing.
By 1970, Gregg had established himself as a strong journeyman racer, capable of winning the small-bore classes. Then he and Hurley Haywood took back-to-back victories in the 1973 24 Hours of Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring. Both drivers – sometimes co-driving and sometimes racing against each other – established dominant reputations for the rest of the decade. Gregg practically owned the IMSA GT and SCCA Trans-Am series. Haywood raced strongly in the mighty Can-Am, took the first of his three Le Mans wins, and drove to victories for several teams.
Going into 1980, it seemed as if the team’s winning ways would continue forever. But when Porsche shifted its focus to the 924 platform and the upcoming Group C and GTP categories, Peter Gregg was left to contemplate a different future. By the end of the year, a debilitating head injury contributed to his tragic demise and left the future of Brumos up for speculation.
Volume III of Brumos: An American Racing Icon examines the challenges and victories of Brumos in the post-Peter Gregg era, from early 1981 until 2020.
The 1980s were a decade of transformation for Brumos as it redefined itself after the glory years of the 1970s. Company owner Deborah Gregg, general manager Bob Snodgrass, and several employees raced in club, showroom stock, and vintage events. During the same period, Snodgrass founded the Brumos Driving Academy and the Brumos vintage-
racing program.
Dan Davis took ownership of Brumos in 1990 and Brumos returned to professional racing and took several more GT championships. In the 2000s, Brumos was the first team to commit to Grand American Daytona Prototypes and earned several significant wins.
For 2011, Brumos returned to its GT-racing roots where it won its last major championship with drivers Leh Keen and Andrew Davis. In January 2020, Davis opened the fabulous Brumos Collection in Jacksonville, ensuring that 120 years of Brumos history will be available for the enjoyment of
veteran fans and future generations.