Bruce Canepa

Bruce Canepa is a retired American race car driver and car dealer.

Early life

Canepa was born and raised in Santa Cruz, California, where he developed an early interest in automobiles, motorcycles, and trucks. He purchased his first car, a 1929 Ford Model A, in 1963, and by age twelve had learned to drive a range of vehicles taught to him by his father.

He has competed in IMSA GT, sprint car racing, super modifieds, and the Trans Am Series. He finished third in the 1979 24 Hours of Daytona with co-drivers Rick Mears and Monte Shelton, driving a Porsche 934 1/2. Porsche subsequently supplied him with a factory 935 for the remainder of the season.

Porsche 959 and the "Show or Display" law

Canepa is regarded as a leading American authority on the Porsche 959, a technologically advanced 1980s supercar that was never federally certified for use on U.S. roads. He purchased his first 959 in 1988 and began developing a U.S.-compliant version of the car. Canepa delivered his first federalized 959 in 2000 and the first fully California-compliant example in 2003. His company's continuing "Porsche 959 Reimagined" program re-engineers the car with modern components and more than 800 horsepower, with finished cars valued at more than $2 million.

Timeline

Year Event 1963 Purchases his first car, a 1929 Ford Model A. 1966 Begins racing NASCAR Sportsman class; first race at Watsonville Speedway, California. 1970 Moves up to Super Modified racing. 1976 Begins competing in Sprint Cars. 1978 Enters sports car racing in IMSA and Trans-Am; first sports car race at Sears Point Raceway in a Porsche 934.5. 1979 Finishes 3rd overall at the 24 Hours of Daytona as an independent team; obtains and races the last factory-built Porsche 935. 1980–1981 Co-drives the MOMO-liveried Porsche 935 with Gianpiero Moretti. 1981 Finishes 2nd overall at the Pikes Peak Hill Climb on his debut appearance. 1982 Opens Bruce Canepa Motorcars and Canepa Design. 1983 Begins designing aerodynamic Kenworth trucks. 1985 Acquires Concept Transporters. 1988 Purchases his first Porsche 959 and begins developing a U.S.-legal version. 1993 Canepa becomes his primary business. 1998 The federal "Show or Display" law for exotic automobiles passes. 2000 Delivers the first Canepa-federalized Porsche 959; sets the tandem-axle big-rig course record at Pikes Peak. 2000–2002 Sets and re-sets the tandem-axle big-rig record at Pikes Peak, finishing in 13:57.800 in 2002. 2003 Builds the first California-compliant Canepa 959. 2006 Opens the Scotts Valley, California headquarters and museum.