Have You Bought A Car Because Of How Well It Did In Racing?

I built a jaguar c type replica in the 80s. After it was stolen i got another one 8 years ago. Still run it most weekends dreaming lemans fanasies

1995-1999 Dodge Neon. I grew up around old Mopars, and I was aware of the Neon’s SCCA success (1500 podiom finishes in 4 years IIRC) from the magazines my Pops subscribed to. I was 23 in 2001 and had wanted a performance car my whole life, but it had to be a reliable daily too, and I’ve never had much money, so it was a natural choice. It allowed me to get involved with auto-x a little, win some money bracket racing, and 13 years later I had owned four of them, each one dead reliable. I’ve now moved on to an E30, but I still have a lot of love for the 1st gen Neon, a highly underrated car I feel underserving of the disrespect and outright hate they have always been on the receiving end of. A shame so many who modify them have such poor taste.

Hello Michael,

That’s a very interesting question. Yes I certainly was influenced by the racing background of the 911 model I bought. I bought a 1968 US Porsche 911 short wheelbase two years ago.

It had no known history and it took me a year to find any leads as to who had owned and worked on the car in the US. It had been beautifully race modified.

Shortly after buying the car I discovered it had been delivered originally to Brumos Motors in Florida. The ’68 SWB coupe was the model with which famed racer and Brumos owner Peter Gregg won the 1969 Trans Am although this historic car appears to have been lost.

The 911 coupe and 911 L were newly homologated for the 1968 race season and won Porsche their first major race a rally victories – at Le Mans, Monte Carlo and in the new Trans Am. During the early 1990s my car had found its way to North Carolina where it turned out to have been modified by a successful SCCA racer. In 2012 it was imported into Switzerland by a highly respected collector and German racing driver who raced Chevrons and Lolas in the 1970s.

I feel that there is something special about buying a car with racing associations even if it was not necessarily raced in period. My own car has turned into my every dream of discovering a car with a fascinating but hidden past. No one had bothered to do their research.

The car’s early history and possible earlier race modification is still the subject of ongoing research. It has many similarities with period photographs and race records of Gregg’s winning ’68 coupe which is the icing on the cake for me.

Due to its past I asked world renowned 911 rally company Francis Tuthill Limited to restore it and build their own version of its race engine. This year they won the Monte Carlo rally with their team car – the first 911 to win at Monte Carlo for 30 years. Having a Tuthill race engine feels rather special and is a lot of fun.

One of the great things about owning an early 911 with a race stance is the admiration and interest it gets. Its not at all an ego thing for me. I feel more like I am taking part in something special and historic each time I drive it. Sometimes when our awful English weather prevents me from driving it I get into the car, close my eyes and imagine its 1969 and I am waiting for the start of the Trans Am somewhere sunny. My Brumos ’68 proudly flies the Brumos and US flag in London, GB whenever I take her out. She is loved by one and all.

With Best Regards,

Julian.

My 3 cars are more or less inspired by racing :

-Porsche 911
-Alpine A110
-BMW Z4 (less evident)

All of my daily drivers have been inspired by racing. E30 M3, Mini Cooper S, Lotus Elise, and Fiat Abarth.