Peter Perfect
Peter Gregg was a fierce and uncompromising competitor. Four Daytona 24 hour outright wins, six Sebring 12-hour class wins and five overall IMSA championships were just reward for the exhaustive preparation demanded by ‘Peter Perfect’. Gregg was known for his successful Brumos Porsche dealerships and a ‘Batman and Robin’ style racing partnership with Hurley Haywood. However, behind the scenes, life was not always perfect for Peter Gregg.
Growing up in New York, young Peter Gregg lived under the intense scrutiny of a strict Father who demanded flawlessness in every area of life. During a day out to celebrate his tenth birthday, Peter’s Mother jumped in front a New York subway train, leaving her distraught son behind. Following a troubled childhood, Peter Gregg studied English at Harvard University. An extraordinary feat given his traumatic upbringing.
After graduation, Gregg served as an intelligence officer in the US Navy. Much like future teammate, Hurley Haywood, military experience honed a winning mentality for the cutthroat world of motor racing. Gregg also learned the art of deception and manipulation, a cornerstone of the aura that surrounded him in racing paddocks.
While continuing his Naval service, Gregg found immediate success racing a Corvette Sting Ray in SCCA events. After a brief jaunt with a Triumph TR4, Gregg made his debut with the marque that defined his career – Porsche. Driving his newly acquired Porsche 904 GTS, Gregg duly finished runner up in the 1964 Paul Whiteman trophy at Daytona and enjoyed the first of several trips to the Bahamas speed week.
In 1965, the Ivy League graduate took a pivotal step in his racing career. After leaving the Navy, Peter and his wife Jennifer purchased Jacksonville Porsche dealer, Brundage Motors. Limited by the capabilities of a TELEX machine, Brundage Motors became condensed and known as ‘Brumos’.
Gregg’s newfound status as a Porsche dealer catapulted his racing exploits to unforeseen heights. Florida’s newest automotive magnate soon claimed a class victory at Sebring and raced with Porsche at both Le Mans and Daytona.
Alongside his Porsche factory drives, Gregg ran his own Porsche 911. Perhaps because of his strict upbringing, anything other than perfection was unthinkable for Gregg’s Brumos team. Thankfully, the results met the standards of the enigmatic frontman.
Gregg’s longstanding co-pilot, Hurley Haywood, was immediately aware of the expectation when driving for Brumos. “Everything had to be absolutely perfect. The look of the team, the cars, and the drivers. We could not afford to make any mistakes of any kind. I think that philosophy adhered to the recipe to be a successful racing team” recalls the five-time Daytona 24-hour winner.
During the Spring of 1968, Gregg’s painstaking preparation led him to the young student who became his greatest racing ally. Prior to a Trans Am event at Lime Rock Park, Gregg entered an autocross in a Jacksonville supermarket car park to test some adjustments to his Porsche 911 race car. Although slightly intimidated by the Brumos set up, a twenty-year old Hurley Haywood whipped his rumbling Corvette around the twisty course, defeating Gregg in a decisive shoot out. Swallowing his considerable pride, Gregg approached Haywood and invited him into the tight knit Brumos inner circle. Their partnership transcended American sports car racing over the next decade. When Haywood was called for service in the Vietnam war, Gregg ensured a berth with Brumos would be waiting for him on his return.
Although Gregg and Haywood enjoyed vast success together, their personalities appeared to be a poor match. Ten years Gregg’s junior, Haywood exuded serenity and politeness. Conversely, Gregg was known to be highly abrasive and confrontational. Perhaps Haywood’s extraordinary patience allowed him to tolerate Gregg’s aggression and occasional rudeness.
Peter Gregg possessed many enviable traits. A tireless work ethic, meticulous preparation, and a competitive instinct were all components of the Peter Gregg winning machine. However, the ‘Peter Perfect’ moniker only applied to the New Yorker’s approach to his Brumos dealerships and race team. Away from the racetrack, Gregg was a philanderer and made little effort conceal this fact. Eventually, Gregg’s wife Jennifer ran out of patience and divorced her unfaithful husband who she had backed when buying Brumos in 1965.
With all this going on around him, Hurley Haywood possessed an admirable filter that absorbed the favourable traits of his mentor, whilst ignoring ‘Peter Perfect’s’ less palatable characteristics.
Trained in the art of deception by Naval Intelligence, Peter Gregg gained an advantage over rivals by whatever means necessary. “Peter was the master of intimidation” confirms Haywood. “He was so good, and everyone wanted to know exactly what the set up was on Peter’s car.”
Aware of his envious rivals, Gregg devised a cunning plan to throw them off the scent. Haywood explains the ruse: “The Porsche factory used to colour code their springs. So, Peter devised a new colour scheme! When rivals came down, they would go ‘what the hell is that?’. This would normally be something ridiculous like a 2000lb spring when it was actually an 800lb spring” chuckles Haywood. “They soon caught on to what Peter was doing, but for a couple of races it was pretty disastrous for the other teams!”
By the end of 1975, Gregg became a revered figure in the IMSA paddock. Three consecutive IMSA titles, two Daytona 24-hour victories and a Sebring 12-hour win had all been achieved at the wheel of the immaculate Brumos Porsches.
Brumos’s automotive retail success mirrored the firm’s racing accomplishments. However, a bullish Gregg didn’t feel valued or supported enough by the Porsche factory. Disillusionment led the Jacksonville car dealer to defect from a brand that was such an integral part of his life. In 1976, Gregg would drive for BMW.
This shock decision to ditch Porsche initially appeared to be a masterstroke. Driving for the works BMW North America effort, Gregg marched to victory at Daytona alongside Brian Redman and John Fitzpatrick. However, just one win at Talladega and a mechanical failure at Le Mans, sealed a demoralising year.
BMW ART CAR PHOTO THANKS TO BMW
Unconvinced by the Munich firm’s attitude, Gregg returned to Porsche. It would take time to settle back in with Porsche, who had now progressed into the hedonistic turbo charged era. However, success soon came flooding back. Two more IMSA championships followed amongst countless other wins. Sharing the 1978 Le Mans podium alongside his great chum Hurley solidified Gregg’s all-star status.
Heading into the 1980 season, Brumos showrooms were thriving and an unparralled fifth IMSA title was in the bag. ‘Peter Perfect’ seemed to be on cloud nine.
However, by June 1980 on track success had been scarce. Nevertheless, a factory drive in the Porsche 924 Carrera GT at Le Mans presented an opportunity to settle the score. During Le Mans race week, a horrifying road accident with a farm vehicle changed the course of the former Naval officer’s life. Gregg’s passengers, artist Frank Stella and his girlfriend, miraculously emerged unhurt. Following the violent impact with the steering wheel, Gregg’s head was left visibly injured. The recently crowned 5-time IMSA champion never won again.
Less than a month later, Gregg returned with his sidekick at the Daytona Paul Revere night race. Carrying out instructions to qualify and start the Brumos Porsche 935/79, Hurley Haywood duly qualified on pole, ahead of the preferred Porsche 935 Kremer machines.
Now established as ‘Mr Daytona’, Haywood opened a commanding lead in the race. However, at two-thirds distance, exhaustion kicked in. With Gregg ready to take over in pit lane, Haywood handed over the #59 machine with a huge lead. Bizarrely, the reigning IMSA champion couldn’t maintain the lead and faded to third place. As it would later transpire, Gregg had been struggling with blurred vision from his head injury. Admitting to such a thing wouldn’t have been the ‘Peter Perfect’ way.
After the race, Gregg accused Haywood of orchestrating the situation to make him look bad. Haywood sternly denied the allegation but decided to retreat and allow his temperamental co-driver to calm down. A few weeks later at the Brumos office, Gregg confronted Haywood and declared that he was no longer welcome at the dealership. Devastated, Haywood gathered his possessions and left.
Over the coming months, Gregg raced occasionally without success and attempted to rebound from his divorce by dating a string of new girlfriends. Within five months, Gregg had re-married. Much to the concern of his inner circle.
On the 14th of December 1980, eight days after marrying his new wife Deborah, Gregg lifted the phone to invite Haywood to lunch. During lunch, the Brumos frontman shared ambitious plans to reform their alliance and start a new Indy Car team with Haywood driving. Everything appeared to be swiftly back on track, but it wasn’t.
The next morning, Peter Gregg strolled onto the beach and took his own life. This champion driver, Naval officer, and successful businessman shocked the local community and the motor racing world to its core. No one could have foreseen the vulnerability of a man who excelled in anything he undertook.
Although Peter Gregg was tragically infiltrated by the dark cloud of mental illness, we should all remember him as the uncompromising and driven champion known as ‘Peter Perfect’.