Jacksonville’s Brumos Race Car Collection Takes You On An Historical Drive Through Automotive History

by Davo Scott | Car Museum, Car Museums, Incredible Car Collections, Incredible Private Car Collections

The Brumos Collection imparts a sweeping story of automotive development through racing. More than a technical tale, the exhibition reveals the very soul in these machines—cars inspired by their predecessors, developed by masters, tested in competition and celebrated in history.

Remarkable vehicles spanning three centuries show the collaborations and rivalries that changed the automotive world. Interactive media brings these stunning vehicles to life, allowing you to explore at your own pace. Most vehicles are drivable—and driven. The collection rotates on occasion as we show our star cars at concours, vintage races and other events.

With over 50 cars on display inside the Brumos Museum out is packed with historic artifacts, racing trophies and historic photographs that add context to the history of the cars on display.

We’re excited for you to experience The Brumos Collection, immerse yourself in our interactive exhibits and learn more about the history and significance of these incredible machines.

The museum was designed to take guests through two unique experiences. The first section of the collection features open cockpit racers and early automotive innovations, with the oldest being an 1894 Peugeot. Besides the cars, there are engines, vintage racing equipment and drivers’ gear. All of the cars have a kiosk that provides the car’s history, vintage photographs and stat sheets detailing car specifications. The second area is full of Porsche race cars from 1953-2017. The cases in this section are filled with legendary race trophies and awards throughout the years.

Although serious race fans and gear-heads will appreciate the collection and all the memorabilia, everyone will find the historical significance and sheer volume of memorabilia interesting.

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When you ask Brandon Starks what the Brumos Collection is, he’ll tell you it’s not a museum because, as he says, “It feels like museums are where things go to die.” And while many of the cars in the Brumos Collection are certainly old—the oldest is an 1894 Peugeot Type 5—they have plenty of life left in them.

FEATURED RACE CAR – 914 PEUGEOT L45

This 1914 PEUGEOT L45 was Georges Boillots, first winner of the French Grand Prix and Italian driving ace Paolo Zuccarelli. Of those early Peugeots, only two remain. This is one of them.

1914 PEUGEOT L45
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,

FEATURED PORSCHE RACE CAR – Porsche 917/10

The first Porsche 917/10 Race Car was produced in 1971. This Can-Am Racer had a twin-turbocharged engine capable of 200+mph speeds at 1100 hp.

Peter Gregg raced the Porsche 917/10 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 “sweeps”.

“These cars were never meant to be static things,” says Starks, executive director of the Brumos Collection, They were meant to drive and most of what we have are race cars, which were meant to be the fastest of their kind when they were made. And so we see it as a very important part of what we do to keep them operable and to take them out, so people can hear them and experience them.”

THE DIGITAL EXPERIENCE
Each car has a digital kiosk that dives deeper into the milestones, the automotive accomplishments, the engineering innovations and the pioneers associated with them. You can scroll through stories, view historic photographs or even explore the list of technical specifications. With no ropes or red tape, visitors can explore the evolution of automotive innovation from the 19th century to the present day.

VIDEO: INSIDE THE BRUMOS MUSEUM

PORSCHE EXHIBIT- FRONTRUNNERS PUSHING THE LIMITS
Porsche design and engineering, tested in the crucible of endurance racing, comes to life right in front of your eyes. You can relive Jacksonville’s own Brumos racing victories at Daytona, Sebring, Le Mans and more, and hold on tight as you experience the risks and rewards of racing with top sportscar drivers such as Siffert, Gregg, and Haywood.

BRUMOS FORERUNNERS SETTING THE PACE

The Forerunners set the stage for racing and automobile innovation as we know it today. Here you can explore the ideas of trailblazers such as Peugeot, Duesenberg, and Bugatti. Follow daring drivers—Rickenbacker, Oldfield, Foyt and more—as they push to the edge of possibility. Commune with the immortal design trio of Miller, Offenhauser, and Goossen.

BRUMOS MEMORABILIA

From the cars themselves to trophies, pictures, engines and more, you’ll find plenty of racing memorabilia. Seeing some of the older, more historical items will take you back to the time when early records were set by drivers who were attempting feats never accomplished before and the cars themselves were running at top speeds.

You’ll also get to see memorabilia dedicated to Brumos racing, beginning with Hubert Brundage and including the multiple 24 Hours of Daytona trophies. There are also cases dedicate to legendary racers, Hurley Haywood and Peter Gregg.

If there’s one thing we want you to take away from your visit, it’s a newfound appreciation for the drivers, the mechanics and the innovators who helped usher in such an exciting era in automotive racing and design.

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