On Friday September 21st, a ceremony was held at Brumos Autowerks, the celebrated race shop in Jacksonville, Fla. where 5 lucky owners were presented with the keys to their Brumos Commemorative Edition Porsche 911 GT3 Cup 4.0. Porsche asked if PorschePurist wanted to attend and report on the event for our readers.* We did! PorschePurist photographer and frequent contributor Brett Sloan flew from New York to Jacksonville to document this historical event. Here’s what he had to say.
The formal schedule said I should arrive at the dealership around 1:00 pm on Friday afternoon. In my eagerness, I found myself wandering the Brumos lot a bit earlier, three and half hours earlier!
As the last of the good morning light left the front parking lot I grabbed some static shots of the dealership and the new 911.
Knowing that I had some time to kill and having already notice Hurley looking at me as if I was a bit nuts, I left to go grab a coffee, review the morning’s pictures and post a few things to Facebook.
When I returned, still with a couple of hours to kill, Brumos General Manager Ray Shaeffer (that’s him above) took pity on me and invited me out of the humidity and in for a tour of the showroom and shop.
I’ve been in a lot of Porsche garages over the years; Brumos has one of the cleanest I’ve ever seen.
I came back to the showroom just as the new owners started arriving. Introductions are made all around and Ray is off to give the new owners (many from out of state) a quick run-through of the showroom and garage.
The Delivery Ceremony
The delivery ceremony is scheduled to begin at 2:00 pm. Once we’re all assembled at the dealership we leave the showroom and shuttle over to the race shop (hallowed ground for Porsche racing fans everywhere).
The shop, otherwise known as Brumos Autowerks, is home to the Brumos racing team as well as the famous, yet private, Brumos Collection. While the race shop is the obvious site for the delivery of these historic and limited edition 911 GT3 Cup cars, the history housed in the private collection next door is a living and breathing testament to Brumos Racing’s success. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to shoot it for you (and Brumos asked that we keep details to a minimum) but we did tour it with the others and can say with confidence that choosing this location just feels right. A thin steel door is all that separates the specter of greatness contained in the collection from the anticipation of future racing glory on the shop floor. How better to celebrate the delivery of a rare and special Porsche race car than in a garage like this?
With everyone collected and ready, the anticipation is palpable. The new 911s sit just behind their new owners, yet invisible thanks to a strategically closed garage door. I watch as each new owner glances toward the door while Ray delivers a short introduction to the event and gives others involved with the project a chance to speak. You can see these men want their Porsches. It’s like watching little kids on Christmas morning waiting to open their presents while mommy and daddy explain the importance of the holiday. They’re listening, but in their minds they’re already ripping through the wrapping paper looking for the new GI Joe with Kung-Fu Grip.
The anticipation continues to build as keys and hats are handed out (each owner gets a hat with the chassis number of their new 911 GT3 Cup embroidered on it).
Finally, it’s time. With all the owners at the podium in front of the door leading into the racing shop, the door is raised.
The five limited edition 911 GT3 Cup 4.0 cars arrayed in front of the Brumos trailer are revealed to their new owners for the first time. It’s quite a site.
The owners locate their Porsche by finding the names of champions Andrew Davis and Leh Keen joined with theirs above the driver’s side door as part of the internationally recognizable Brumos racing livery.
To a man each owner sits behind the wheel taking possession of their newest toy. A member of the Brumos Racing team, in this case driver Andrew Davis, points out the various features and exclusive options in these very special Porsches.
Details on the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup 4.0 Brumos Commemorative Edition
The quintet of 911 Cup cars sold for $269,259 and are the final five North American-spec GT3 Cup cars imported to North America. Perhaps, more importantly, this is the first time that Porsche Motorsport North America has offered a special limited edition of a race car. Built in recognition of the Brumos Racing’s 2011 Rolex Grand-AM GT Championship winning effort, these Porsches replicate the very car used to capture team, driver and manufacturers titles.
Each car was converted by Porsche Motorsport North America to the 4.0 liter, GRAND-AM spec normally aspirated race engine capable 450 hp. A gearbox “blipper” system for speedier downshifts was installed along with a Motec data acquisition system. Brumos further improved the 911 with the addition of a dead pedal, under pedal assembly floorboard and Motec display dash panel all done in carbon fiber.
In addition, Brumos installed polished rear wing uprights, 911 GT3 Cup 4.0 rear deck badges and a chassis plaque with the vehicle name and VIN number.
Lastly, each limited edition Porsche is wearing the Brumos livery of red and blue stripes on Carrera White paint. To protect the finish, Brumos installed a Digishield cover to the front bumper and hood and front debris shield to protect the car during anticipated PCA, SCCA and track-day use.
The New Owners
Chassis number wp0zzz99zcs798178 was delivered to Ron Thomas (Galena, Ohio) with McGrath Keen (Dublin, Ga.) and Leh Keen taking 798180. John Crosby (Mandeville, La.) receives 798181 while Michael Fux (Long Branch, N.J.) will have 798183. An anonymous owner has purchased chassis 798179.
See even more pictures on Facebook.
Other Porsche Blog Posts You Might Like
Building a Porsche 911 GT3 RSR for Street Use
2012-spec Porsche 911 GT3 Cup is the Last of the 997s
Brumos Wins Rolex Grand-Am GT Season Title in First Season with Porsche 911 GT3 Cup
[Pictures via PorschePurist/Brett Sloan. Picture of owner line-up via Porsche]
*Porsche/Brumos paid for our travel and accommodations for this trip.
