This Le Mans-Winning Porsche 924 Carrera GTR Is Brumos History on Street TiresDaytona, Sebring, and Le Mans form the holy trinity of international endurance racing, and Porsche has long owned all three. So when a turbocharged, factory-built 924 Carrera GTR turns up wearing Brumos colors and a confirmed Le Mans class win on its resume, it deserves a second look. This particular car, chassis 011, is heading to Broad Arrow Auctions' Quail sale in 2026 with an estimate of $600,000 to $800,000, and its story is one of the most charismatic in the transaxle Porsche era.The 924 kicked off Porsche's "Die Transaxle Aera" in 1976, and by 1980 the factory had taken its racing version, the 924 Carrera GTP, to a sixth-overall finish at Le Mans. That result all but guaranteed a customer racer would follow, and the 375-horsepower 924 Carrera GTR arrived the next year. Only 17 factory-built GTRs were ever made, making this the rarest and most purposeful version of the model Weissach ever turned out.Chassis 011 was sent to the United States and the legendary Brumos Porsche operation. Following the passing of Peter Gregg in 1980, Brumos rallied around owner Deborah Gregg and team president Bob Snodgrass, who paired with Herman+Miller and landed sponsorship from BF Goodrich. That backing came with a catch that still sounds absurd today: the silver-and-blue, number 58 Brumos car would have to race on Comp T/A radial street tires.AdvertisementAdvertisementThe season opened at the Daytona 24 Hours, where Jim Busby, Doc Bundy, and Porsche factory driver Manfred Schurti qualified 26th and battled gearbox trouble to a credible 19th overall, completing the full day and night on street rubber. At the Sebring 12 Hours, actor James Brolin joined Busby and Bundy for a 23rd-overall, ninth-in-class run. Then both the Brumos and Herman+Miller GTRs went back to Weissach to prepare for the 50th running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.The 1982 race was a total Porsche sweep, with the factory Rothmans 956s finishing 1-2-3 overall. Running as number 87, this 924 Carrera GTR took the IMSA GTO class win after 272 laps, but the path there was anything but smooth. Down on power in qualifying, the 2.0-liter turbo was rebuilt by Porsche mechanics in the back of a truck in the rain, after which Busby said it "ran like a freight train." Bundy then backed it into the barriers during a wet warmup, and the same crew rebuilt it using parts donated from Derek Bell's private 924 Carrera GT.The drama did not stop there. A broken throttle cable was fixed trackside when Bundy improvised with a length of throttle wire he carried with him, and a late coolant leak was reportedly nursed home with either a packed-ice trick or sealant in the system. The team also came remarkably close to running the entire race on a single set of tires, replacing just one that had been cut by debris. The car simply refused to quit.Impressed by the class win, BF Goodrich sent the Brumos GTR to Japan for the Suzuka 1000 Kms, where Busby and Ron Grable took another class victory and finished sixth overall despite monsoon conditions. For 1983, Deborah Gregg, Bonnie Henn, and Kathy Rude campaigned 011 at Daytona and Sebring in fresh Brumos peach, aqua, and yellow colors, with more IMSA outings at Road Atlanta, Riverside, and Charlotte. The car later passed to Alfredo Mena's El Salvador Racing in 1984, ran in Red Roof Inns livery with drivers including Jim Trueman, and eventually returned to El Salvador in TACA International Airlines colors.AdvertisementAdvertisementAcquired directly from Mena in 2011, the current owner is only the third caretaker of this Le Mans-winning racer. The car was restored to its triumphant BF Goodrich silver-and-blue livery by Porsche specialists Willison Werkstatt of Lake Park, Florida, a fitting choice given that owner Paul Willison was a Brumos crew member who worked on the car in period. Since then it has appeared at the 2012 Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance, served in Porsche Cars North America's Heritage Gallery, and earned a cover feature in 000 Magazine.With documented runs at Daytona, Sebring, Le Mans, and Suzuka, genuine Brumos and Porsche factory history, and a valid FIA Historical Technical Passport, chassis 011 is eligible for events such as the Le Mans Classic, Rennsport Reunion, and HSR endurance racing. It is, in short, a rare chance to own a Le Mans class winner that is just as happy on a concours lawn as it is back at speed on the circuits where it made its name.Source: Broad Arrow Auctions⚡️ Read the full article on MotoriousSign up for the Motorious Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
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