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Amelia Island Concours 2013 – Porsche 911 Race Cars

Porsche 911 RSR 2.8
Porsche 911 RSR 2.8

The Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance 2013 was held Sunday, March 10th on the fairways of the Golf Club of Amelia Island adjacent to the Ritz-Carlton in Amelia Island, Florida.

The 18th annual Amelia Island Concours honored the 50th Anniversary of the Porsche 911 by gathering together a wonderful selection of 911-based race cars. The 911 story would not be complete without the countless racing victories achieved by this car, in its various guises, over the past five decades and even up to the present day.

Porsche, too, hasn’t forgotten their vital link to the motorsports world. “We understand the importance that our motorsports heritage plays in the Porsche customer’s choice to buy the 911, and our racing efforts around the world today reflect that priority,” said Detlev von Platen, president of Porsche Cars North America, Inc.

Introduced in the autumn of 1963 at the Frankfurt Auto Salon, the Porsche 911 has become a touchstone design and the car that propelled Porsche to commercial and competition success. Designed by the late Ferdinand Alexander “Butzi” Porsche, the grandson of Dr. Ferdinand Porsche, the 911 broke new technological ground with a horizontally opposed six-cylinder engine that became the foundation of generations of Porsche sports and racing cars.

From its first entry Porsche’s new 911 won its category in all the classic sports car endurance races. Class wins in the 1966 24 Hours of Daytona, the 12 Hours of Sebring and the 24 Hours of Le Mans were followed by outright victory in the rugged Monte Carlo Rally in 1968. In 1973 the Brumos Porsche 911 RSR driven by Peter Gregg and Hurley Haywood won an upset victory in the 24 Hours of Daytona, defeating an international field of prototypes. The same year brought Porsche’s 911 overall victories in the punishing 12 Hours of Sebring and the World Championship Targa Florio on the mountain roads of Sicily.

The 911s assembled at Amelia Island this year, pictured below, really were the cream of the crop. When strolling through the display, each one just seemed more spectacular than the last. And with several RSRs, rally cars, and even the first 911 to win a race, the full range of this most versatile of sports cars was represented. A true racing institution, Porsche’s most enduring model deserved a celebration such as this one, and what a celebration it was. With all the other highlighted anniversaries and countless beautiful cars there was so much to see, but it was hard not to stop and stare at these breathtaking 911s.

Best in Class was awarded to Bruce Meyer’s 1979 Porsche 935 K-3, the overall winner at Le Mans in 1979. After spending thirty years in storage, the car has recently been refreshed with a complete tear-down and restoration by Canepa Motorsports.

Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance 2013 – Porsche 911 Race Car Class

 

964 Porsche 911 of Christian and Sonia Zugel
1964 Porsche 911 of Christian and Sonia Zugel, Holmdel, NJ – Chassis number 300.128 is one of the first two 911s delivered to the United States and was received by Brumos Porsche for demonstrations only. Jack Ryan, who was a racing driver and owner of a VW dealership in Atlanta, made a deal to buy the car from Brumos in 1965 and then decided to race it at the 24 Hours of Daytona in 1966. Driven by Jack Ryan, Lin Coleman and Bill Bencker, it won its class, thus being the first 911 ever to win a road race not just in America, but the whole world. It was also the first 911 to race at Sebring, where it finished second in its class. The car still has the original engine and transmission along with the original interior (minus the headliner). The exterior is original except for the right fender and door, which had to be replaced where it was hit. The original color was black.
1965 Porsche 911 of the Jerry Peters Collection
1965 Porsche 911 of the Jerry Peters Collection, Ponte Vedra Beach, FL – This is the 1172nd 911 built and it has strong Jacksonville connections. It was delivered to Brumos Porsche in Jacksonville and, after being set up by Franz Blam and Jack Atkinson, also of Jacksonville, was raced by Peter Gregg and by Dr. Wilbur Pickett of Daytona. This car competed in FIA, SCCA, Trans-Am, and NASCAR’s GT Grand Touring series. Among some of the car’s race finishes are a second at Daytona in 1969, first at Sebring in U2 and Trans-Am, first in class at the Daytona Citrus 250 in NASCAR’s Grand Touring series, first place in SCCA’s B-Sedan National Championship in 1968, and a second place finish in the same series in 1969.
1967 Porsche 911R of Lance Willsey
1967 Porsche 911R of Lance Willsey, Chestnut Hill, MA – In 1967, plans began to evolve for a ‘factory’ race version of the 911. While the 911S had enjoyed success in the hands of privateers and the occasional factory-backed competition effort, the 911R was to be an ultra-light-weight version of the car that would improve Porsche’s chances in competition. The monocoque was made of the thinnest gauge steel possible, while fiberglass was used extensively to replace the fenders, front and rear deck lids, and bumpers. The doors and deck lids all had aluminum hinges while the interior was stripped of all creature comforts. There were only three gauges in the car and the seats were replaced with Scheel racing bucket seats. Side and rear windows were all replaced with Plexiglass and the floorboards were drilled and lightened. The result was a 911 that weighed 450 pounds less than its production equivalent. All of the running gear was standard, with the exception of larger brake calipers and wider wheels and tires on both front and rear. The engine was very similar to the one used in the racing Carrera 6 and put out 210 horsepower. Twenty-two examples of the 911R were constructed, but the factory never homologated them. Three 911R’s were kept by Porsche and the 19 remaining cars were sold to selected privateers. This particular example was never raced.
1971 Porsche 911 STR Safari of Terri and Jeff Zwart
1971 Porsche 911 STR Safari of Terri and Jeff Zwart, Irvine, CA – The 1971 Porsche Factory Werks 911 STR was built for the 1971 East African Safari Rally. This car, one of three Factory Werks entries, was entered by the Porsche factory and driven by Björn Waldegaard. Jürgen Barth headed the factory program. The East African Safari was considered one of the most difficult motorsport challenges of the day, and Porsche partnered with Sears Tires to promote their tires’ durability over the course of this grueling event. The rally took place over five days and traversed some of the most difficult terrain in East Africa with temperatures topping 100 degrees in the deserts and dropping to sub-freezing over the 10,000 foot passes. This Porsche was discovered in South Africa and brought to the United States where it received a complete restoration to the exact original specifications in 2007.
Brumos 1973 Porsche 911 RSR
1973 Porsche 911 RSR of AASE Sales/Kraftwerks, Galena, OH – This is a replica of the 1973 Daytona 24 Hour-winning 911 RSR driven by Hurley Haywood and Peter Gregg. It is powered by a 2.8 liter flat-6. The car was loaned to Brumos Porsche for the 1973 Daytona 24 Hours only, and then returned to the factory. The original 1973 Daytona winner unfortunately is no longer in existence.
1977 Porsche 934.5 of the Canepa Motorsports Museum
1977 Porsche 934.5 of the Canepa Motorsports Museum, Scotts Valley, CA – This is one of only 10 Porsche-built 934.5 racing cars. The 934.5 is a prime example of the intense competition found in international sports car racing in the late 1970s. The Porsche 930 Turbo was configured from racing in two FIA categories: Group 4 (934) and the faster Group 5 (935). In the United States, the 934 was accepted into the Trans-Am series in 1976, but not into IMSA until the following season. The 1977 IMSA rules allowed the 934 to be more heavily modified using numerous 935 parts. The Porsche factory then created ten IMSA-only versions, called the 934.5, late in 1976. George Dyer purchased this car new to compete in the 1977 IMSA championship. After a competitive season Dyer sold the car to Bruce Canepa, who would go on to successfully campaign the car in IMSA and Trans-Am. The car’s most memorable performance was at the 1979, at Daytona’s IMSA 24-Hour Pepsi Challenge. With teammates Rick Mears and Monte Shelton, Canepa finished third overall, which was a spectacular result considering they were an independent team racing a three-year-old car against brand new factory 935’s, not to mention a host of Ferrari 512 BB/LMs and BMWs.

Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance 2013 – Porsche 911 Race Car Class Page Two

 

1974 Porsche RSR of Robert M. Newman, Jr
1974 Porsche 911 RSR 3.0 Litre of Robert M. Newman, Jr., New York, NY – This car was built by Kremer Racing for Dutch blue jeans manufacturer Wally’s. Kremer was a firm founded in 1962 by brothers Erwin and Manfred Kremer, and was the first team to enter the Porsche 911 in international races. This car was raced in 1975, 1976, and 1977 by numerous drivers and had many podium finishes in Europe. It is powered by a 3.0 liter engine developing 330 horsepower, and was raced for some time in the 1980s. The car was restored in Europe for presentation at the Classic Le Mans in 2008. The current owner has vintage raced it in the United States for the past six years.
1975 Porsche 911 RSR of the Brumos Collection
1975 Porsche 911 RSR of the Brumos Collection, Jacksonville, FL – This 1975 911 RSR, #43, was the winner of the Daytona 24 Hours in 1977. An ex-Brumos car, it was bought by John Graves, who traditionally bought all of his cars from Brumos. He was allowed to run the car with #43 on the condition that it would not race in traditional Brumos livery. Today, the car appears exactly as it did in 1977 with the Ecurie Escargot paint scheme, approved personally by Peter Gregg. Not satisfied that the Porsche turbos were fully reliable for the 24 hour race, Hurley Haywood accepted an invitation to join Graves and Dave Helmick as a driver for #43. During the night, Haywood took the lead during a marathon eight-hour driving shift. As the turbo cars encountered mechanical problems, #43 persevered to take the victory. It was Haywood’s third Daytona 24 Hour win in just four years, and earned him an invitation to join the Porsche Factory team for the 1977 24 Hours of Le Mans, where he shared a victory with Jacky Ickx and Jürgen Barth, making him the first driver in history to win both 24 hour races in the same year.
1974 Porsche IROC RSR of the Dennis Kranz Collection
1974 Porsche IROC RSR of the Dennis Kranz Collection, Portland, OR – In October of 1973, twelve of the world’s top drivers were invited from Formula One, USAC, NASCAR and the SCCA to participate in the International Race of Champions, or IROC. They competed in a series of four races in which all equipment was equalized. The car selected for the series was the 1974 Porsche Carrera RSR 3.0. Fifteen identical cars, featuring 315 horsepower RSR motors, were ordered and prepped by the IROC Porsche mechanics. This car was first driven by Formula One World Champion Emerson Fittipaldi, who put it on pole of the initial race at Riverside International Raceway. The car continued to race throughout the 1970s and recently underwent a three-year restoration.
1977 Porsche 934.5 of Bob Weber
1977 Porsche 934.5 of Bob Weber, Huntington Beach, CA – Porsche only built ten 934.5’s. Chassis #930 770 0952 is the second 934.5 produced. The first was purchased by Peter Gregg, who then sold it to Jim Busby who raced it under Mitcom sponsorship. On January 22, 1977 both Peter Gregg and Brumos crew chief Jack Atkinson flew to Zuffenhausen and purchased this car and a single-turbo 935. When this car arrived in Jacksonville it required a significant amount of preparation for its debut at the IMSA Road Atlanta race in April. The 935 was used for parts and bodywork for this car to race in various configurations. In 1978 Gregg sold it to Bruce Leven of Bayside Disposal. After racing for only two seasons, it was put into storage and remained out of the public eye for twenty-five years until being purchased by the current owner.
1973 Porsche 911 RSR 2.8 R6
1973 Porsche 911 RSR 2.8 R6 of the Fica Frio Collection, Jersey, UK – For most of the 1973 season R6 was raced by the Porsche factory under Martini sponsorship. Roger Penske then acquired the car for Watkins Glen and it ran the last race of the season with Sunoco sponsorship. Of the seven 300 horsepower “R” cars, R6 was the one most actively raced by the factory. It competed in ten events in 1973 and finished in the top-ten an impressive seven times, including first place in the Targa Florio. It is the only RSR featuring the original rear spoiler.
Brumos 1973 Porsche Carrera RSR 2.8, Sebring Winner
1973 Porsche Carrera RSR 2.8 of Philip Basil, Oxford, UK – This car is a 1973 Carrera RSR 2.8, the racing version of Porsche’s iconic road car, the Carrera RS 2.7. This chassis, 0705, was ordered from the factory by well-known privateer racer, Dr. David Helmick, who enjoyed significant success with 911’s during the 1970s in the American IMSA racing series. For the car’s first race at the 1973 Sebring 12 Hours, Helmick teamed up with Peter Gregg and Hurley Haywood. Gregg and Haywood had just won the Daytona 24 Hours in a prototype RSR, but that car was recalled to the factory for testing and publicity. Helmick’s car was then prepared by Brumos and upgraded with several trick features that they had run at Daytona. The car proceeded to win the race outright, a remarkable back-to-back for both Brumos and Porsche’s RSR. Chassis 0705 was subsequently raced by Helmick in the IMSA Camel GT series during 1973 and 1974. By 1975, it had been gradually transformed into a 3.0 RSR-spec car but was eventually bought by well-known Porsche collector Dr. Bill Jackson in 1976. He then preserved the car as it was for the next 25 years. It was restored in 2001 by Gunnar Racing and has been in its present ownership since 2004. The car is now finished in the same livery as it was at Sebring in 1973 an carries the famous number 59 associated with Peter Gregg and Brumos.

Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance 2013 – Porsche 911 Race Car Class Page Three

 

1974 Porsche 911 RSR 2.14 Turbo R13, ex-Matt Drendel
1974 Porsche 911 RSR 2.14 Turbo R13 of the Fica Frio Collection, Jersey, UK – At the 1973 Frankfurt Motor Show, Porsche unveiled a special 911 concept car with RSR flared fenders, a large rear wing, and the word “Turbo” spelled out on the rear. One month later, Porsche announced that they would cease factory-backed racing in Group 4 for 1974. In conjunction with Martini & Rossi, however, Porsche entered a turbocharged Carrera in the Group 5 category. To comply with Group 5 regulations, a 2.14 liter engine was developed with a magnesium crankcase, polished titanium rods, enlarged oil pumps, dual ignition, mechanical injection and sodium-cooled valves. At the rear of the engine was a KKK turbocharger which boosted the new engine to over 500 horsepower. Continued testing and development of this package led to the introduction of the 935 in 1976.
1979 Porsche 935 of the Brumos Collection
1979 Porsche 935 of the Brumos Collection, Jacksonville, FL – This Porsche 935 was Peter Gregg’s 1979 IMSA championship car. Peter Gregg won six IMSA Camel GT championships and 41 races during the 1970s. 1979 was his final and perhaps finest season as he drove his famous #59 Porsche to victories at Road Atlanta, Laguna Seca, Lime Rock, Brainerd, Mid-Ohio, Sears Point, Portland and Road Atlanta, in addition to a record-setting eight consecutive pole positions. The Porsche 935 was the final evolution of the legendary 911 Carrera as introduced by Peter Gregg’s Brumos Porsche Team when they won an upset victory at the 1973 Daytona 24 Hours endurance race. The 935 is a 700-plus horsepower, twin-turbocharged race car capable of speeds above 200 mph. This vehicle is shown exactly as it was when it won the 1979 IMSA championship. Victories were achieved in 53% of the races in entered carrying Peter Gregg to 20% of his 41 IMSA wins. It is the last remaining unmodified 935 extant and is authentic down to Gregg’s distinctive black watch tartan seat upholstery.
1979 Porsche 935 K-3, Le Mans Winner
1979 Porsche 935 K-3 of Bruce Meyer, Beverly Hills, CA – The overall winner at Le Mans in 1979, this 935 K-3 is considered by some to be the most important 911 of all. With Porsche already dominating much of the world’s sports car racing scene, Manfred and Erwin Kremer believed they could improve Porsche’s factory-built racing cars. Their focus remained upon shedding as much weight as possible. To achieve this, over 100 changes were incorporated to make it more efficient, including the relocation of the oil and fuel tanks, and replacing most of the body panels with high-tech composites. Literally hours before Le Mans, this works car was sold to Don and Bill Whittington, and along with co-driver Klaus Ludwig, the twin-turbo, 700 horsepower 935 took the win. The car also took second at Brands Hatch in the same year, and in 1980 it finished third at Sebring, first at the Nürburgring, and first at Watkins Glen. After spending thirty years in storage, the car has recently been refreshed with a complete tear-down and restoration by Canepa Motorsports. To ensure the 935 would look and drive as it did in June of 1979, all possible components are original and, once again, “race ready”.
1984 Porsche 911 SC/RS Rothmans Rally
1984 Porsche 911 SC/RS of Jimmy Dobbs III, Palm Beach, FL – This Rothmans-sponsored FIA Group B 911 SC/RS was built for competition under license for Porsche by D.R. Auto Sport, who has designed and constructed racing cars for companies such as Subaru, Aston Martin and Ford. Only twenty SC/RS race cars were built for the 1984 season. This car, 0040035, is unrestored and is believed to have never been shown in the United States. The 930/18 3.2 liter engine delivers 255 horsepower and is mated to a five-speed manual gear box. It also featured four-wheel independent suspension and four-wheel disc brakes. These cars were devoid of any creature comforts, soundproofing or insulation. A massive oil-cooler also shared the front compartment with an oversized fuel cell.
1984 Porsche 911 Type 953 of the Porsche Museum
1984 Porsche 911 (Type 953) of the Porsche Museum, Stuttgart, Germany – During the winter of 1983, three four-wheel-drive 911 rally cars, known internally as 953’s, were built in the Weissach R&D department and entered in the 1984 Paris-Dakar Rally. These rally versions of the 911 were powered by 3.2 liter engines with reduced engine compression to compensate for the poor fuel available on the rally stages. The entire car was considerably modified with reinforced suspension attachments, dual shock absorbers and engine mounts. Front fenders, trunk lid, doors, rear deck lid and spoiler were made of GFK and carbon fiber. A 10 mm thick Kevlar plate served as undercover protection. In addition to a 120 liter gas tank in front, a second 150 liter tank was installed behind the driver’s seat. To optimize balance, fuel could be pumped between the two tanks during driving. Porsche’s long awaited return to rally motorsports proved successful with a victory, a sixth place and a twenty-sixth place finish in the 1984 rally. This encouraging success led to the more extreme 959 Paris-Dakar rally cars that proved incredibly successful over the next several years. These 953s have been somewhat overshadowed by the more radical 959s, but that doesn’t make their achievements any less impressive or important.
1991 Porsche 911 Turbo S2 Brumos
1991 Porsche 911 Turbo S-2 of the Brumos Collection, Jacksonville, FL – This is the 1992 IMSA Supercar Championship-winning 911. Driven as car #58 by Joe Varde, Don Knowles and Hans Stuck to back up Hurley Haywood in 1991, it was renumbered in Brumos’ traditional #59 for the 1992 season, which it won for Porsche. The car features a 3.3 liter turbo motor mated five-speed manual transmission, and is capable of 0-60 in 4.52 seconds. Today, this championship-winning car is employed at Brumos University. Chief Instructor/Vice President Hurley Heywood takes students for fast laps at speeds of up to 160 miles per hour in this actual car.

Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance 2013 – Porsche 911 Race Car Class Photo Gallery

 

[Source: Amelia Island Concours; photos: Sports Car Digest, Al Wolford, Dirk de Jager]

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