JACKSONVILLE FLORIDA MUSEUM SHOWCASES HISTORIC RACING CARS

Photo Credit: Peter Harholdt 

One of the most impressive private automobile collections in the United States will soon be accessible for public viewing. Retired auto dealership and motorsport racing team owner Dan Davis has created a museum in Jacksonville, Florida to showcase the amazing array of cars he has collected. The Brumos Collection (named after Davis' Brumos Motorcars and Brumos Racing ventures) will be home to more than three dozen automobiles on display within a 35,000 square-foot interactive museum dedicated to the technology, innovation and historical significance of race cars.

I've got to get down to Jacksonville to check this place out! The museum building is designed to pay homage to the city's own automotive history by duplicating architectural aspects of a local Ford Motor Company manufacturing plant that rolled out Model T cars in the 1920s. The interior though will have more of a focus on Porsche which was the primary brand for Davis' dealership and racing team. The Brumos Collection though does included vehicles from a number of manufacturers that have historical significance not just in motorsport racing but also in regard to technological advancements and cultural significance.

This is a place that car lovers, motorsport enthusiasts and gearheads are absolutely going to want to go out of their way to visit. The Brumos Collection will be opening in early 2020. The museum is located at 5159 San Pablo Road South. Head over to thebrumoscollection.com for more details about the museum including when it will be open and admission price for touring the facility.

Photo Credit: Peter Harholdt

One of the most recognizable cars in the collection is the actual 1970 Gulf-liveried Porsche 917K driven by Steve McQueen in the racing film “Le Mans.” One of the most famous Porsche 917 ever built, the racecar was initially used for Le Mans testing before being featured in the 1971 theatrically released McQueen film. Tucked away in a barn for more than two decades, the 917K has been full restored and will be on display for anyone to stop by and see as part of The Brumos Collection.

Other Porche vehicles on display in The Brumos Collection include a 1968 Porsche 908, 1972 Porsche 917-10, 1979 Porsche 935 and a 1959 Porsche Tractor.

1968 Porsche 908 

Photo Credit: Peter Harholdt

The racecar that conquered Nürburgring. In the second track appearance ever for Porsche’s then-new 908, drivers Jo Siffert and Vic Elford tackled the notorious Nürburgring’s 1000 km in this yet-unproven model. Starting in the 27th position, Siffert guided it into 2nd place at the end of the first lap and into the overall lead after the second lap by setting a lap record. The car persevered through a grueling 44 laps around Nürburgring’s 14-mile course, skillfully navigating a 1000-foot elevation change and 160 forest turns.

1972 Porsche 917-10

Photo Credit: Peter Harhold

This Can-Am Racer had a twin-turbocharged engine capable of 200+mph speeds at 1100 hp. Peter Gregg raced the car to a 9th place finish in the 1972 Can-Am Championship, followed by Hurley Haywood’s 3rd place finish in the 1973 Can-Am Series season. The Brumos Porsche 917-10 was the first race car to carry what has now become the iconic and recognizable white, red and blue livery with the famous Brumos Racing “sweeps.”

1979 Porsche 935

Photo Credit: Peter Harhold

Peter Gregg won six IMSA Camel GT championships and scored 41 victories in the 1970s. In 1979, he won his final, and perhaps finest, season as he earned a record-setting eight wins and eight straight pole positions. The #59 Brumos Porsche 935 was Gregg’s last race car and is now believed to be the last remaining unmodified 935 still in existence.

The Porsche 935 was the final evolution of the legendary 911 Carrera as introduced by Brumos Racing in 1973. It is a 700+ HP, twin turbocharged racer capable of speeds in excess of 200 mph. The #59 Brumos Porsche 935 is shown exactly as it raced when it won the 1979 IMSA Championship, and is authentic in every detail, down to Gregg’s distinctive tartan seat upholstery. The car won 53 percent of the races it entered, carrying Peter Gregg to 20 percent of his total career IMSA victories.

1959 Porsche Tractor

Photo Credit: Peter Harhold

Focusing on automobile manufacturing, Porsche licensed its own innovative design for agricultural tractors and to the company Mannesmann AG. Between 1956 and 1963 more than 125,000 Porsche Tractors were built in an old Zeppelin factory. These sports cars of farming earned a reputation for being one of the best tractors of the time. Get a close up look at this not well known part of the car manufacturer's history.

Some of the other vehicles on display at The Brumos Collection include:

1914 Peugeot L45

Photo Credit: Peter Harhold

Between 1912 and 1914, Peugeot made a handful of racecars with the world’s first dual overhead camshaft engines—the ancestors of all high-performance engines to follow. In the early 20th century, Peugeot racers ruled the scene with some of the sport’s greatest drivers: Jules Goux, the first foreigner to win the Indy 500; Georges Boillot, first winner of the French Grand Prix; and Italian driving ace Paolo Zuccarelli. Of those early Peugeots, this is one of only two that remain.

1923 Miller 122 Grand Prix

Photo Credit: Peter Harhold

Miller was the first American race car built solely to race in Europe. This 1923 Miller 122 Grand Prix was driven by Bugatti racer Count Louis Zborowski, who raced it in England, Spain and France. Returned to the United State 89 years later, this is considered one of the most complete surviving Millers.

1929 Dusenberg

Photo Credit: Peter Harhold

Designed to be the most luxurious automobile ever built during the Roaring 20s the cars began rolling off assembly lines just as the Stock Market crashed. Poor timing for the release of an incredible vehicle!

1939 Alfa Romero Spider

Photo Credit: Peter Harhold

Why can't they make convertables that look like this anymore? I'd love to take a cruise on a nice summer day in a roadster like this 1939 Alfa Romero Spider on display at The Brumos Collection. What a sweet ride!