Brumos Porsche of Jacksonville, Florida has acquired one of the most iconic, utilitarian Porsches ever made — though technically, it isn’t a Porsche at all. It’s “Buster,” a beautiful 1968 Mercedes bus, converted by Stuttgart-based Schenk Aufbau to transport some of Porsche’s most historic race cars to the track.
Brumos’ Mercedes bus is one of only two identical haulers commissioned by Porsche in the late 1960s. The other survives as well, in Porsche’s own collection. Together, Buster and his counterpart transported some of the marque’s most legendarily-nostalgic race cars: notably, the (new at the time) 906 “Carrera 6,” which necessitated special consideration from the hauler due to its length.
The Mercedes bus served some of the most notable Porsche drivers in history, too, including Norbert Singer, Roland Kussmaul, and Jacky Ickx, alongside Brumos Racing’s own Hurley Haywood and Peter Gregg. But that was when the Mercedes bus was still under the someone else’s ownership, as Brumos Porsche only acquired Buster in 2003. When they did, former Brumos boss Bob Snodgrass insisted on getting as many of those old Porsche racing drivers’ signatures as possible.
The end result is a beautiful, running and driving museum exhibit, with more history and character than even its immense size suggests. Sure, it takes up a lot of space in the Brumos Porsche garage. But Buster is worth his displacement in memories.
Let Brumos Porsche take you on the full tour below:
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