Hurley Haywood was reunited with his bright yellow 1973 Porsche 911 RSR, car number 59, on the 40th Anniversary of his 12 Hours of Sebring win in 1973. Haywood, with multiple victories at Daytona and Le Mans as well as Sebring, is considered by many to be the world’s most successful endurance driver. Throughout this video, produced by Porsche, he discusses the car, what makes Sebring so special, his back-to-back endurance wins at Daytona and Sebring, and the difference that forty years has made in the endurance racing world.
This 2.8 liter Carrera, chassis 0705, was delivered to privateer racer David Helmick in 1973, and Brumos rushed to prepare the car for its rapidly approaching debut at the 12 Hours of Sebring, the first IMSA-sanctioned running of that famous race. Helmick enlisted the distinguished talents of Peter Gregg and Hurley Haywood, who were fresh off a win at Daytona in a prototype RSR. In practice and qualifying, the Corvettes looked to have a solid chance of winning, but during the race the track’s rough surfaces took their toll on the American cars to leave the Gregg/Haywood/Helmick Porsche to fight for and maintain the lead to the end, a fine achievement for Brumos, for Porsche, and for the 911.
(See 1973 Sebring 12 Hours – Race Profile, Photos and History)
Four decades later, Haywood found himself in the same car that provided him with one of his earliest major victories. Car 59 was restored in 2001, returning to its original Sebring livery and, lapping the Florida track, Haywood notes that the car “totally met my expectations, exceeded my expectations because it was so beautifully prepared.” Enjoy the sights and sounds of this fitting reunion with this famous car.
Hurley Haywood and his 1973 Sebring Winning Porsche 911 Carrera RSR
[Source: Porsche]
