Joseph C. Buzzetta, a St. James resident who was one...

Joseph C. Buzzetta, a St. James resident who was one of the first Americans to be a factory race car driver for Porsche, died on Jan. 15 at age 86. Credit: Buzzetta family

Joseph C. “Joe" Buzzetta was a legend in the racing circuit. It was hard not to know his name as he sped through the 1960s as a race car driver with a passion for everything automotive. But his passion for hot rods was evident from the minute he could get behind the wheel.

Buzzetta's racing career can be traced to the 1950s when he served in the U.S. Army in Frankfurt, Germany, where he participated in club racing events, his children said.

The St. James resident died of dementia and Parkinson's disease on Jan. 15. He was 86.

Joe Buzzetta was born on Dec. 30, 1936, in Ozone Park, Queens, to John and Anna Buzzetta, both from Italian immigrant families. Around 1950, when he was in his early teens, his family, including his younger sister Johann, moved to Centerport. There they'd purchased a partnership in a budding new Italian restaurant, Bella Vista, in a beautiful old Victorian once owned by the Whitney family. It was at the restaurant that Joe Buzzetta learned how to how to run a family business and fell in love with automotives because the Bella Vista was a hot spot for car club meetings and rallies.

After graduating from Huntington High School, Buzzetta met the love of his life, Valerie, on a blind date. Not long after they'd met, the couple married in 1957 and then Buzzetta was deployed to his Army post in Frankfurt, Germany, as a specialist supporting intelligence. Weekends were spent in his Porsche, as he and his wife explored Germany and bordering countries by car. They would later build a home in Nissequogue, where they raised their three children: Joseph Jr., James and Nancy.

"My parents' adventure really gained traction when they bought an Austin-Healey and started participating in club racing events and touring Europe," said daughter Nancy Buzzetta. "After seeing the successful results of his competitors driving the Porsche 356, he made the switch and thus began his racing legacy."

When Joe Buzzetta returned to the United States, his racing achievements started to add up, and he gained national and international notoriety.

"Dad would have wanted to be remembered as one of the first Americans to be a factory race car driver for Porsche [from 1964 to 1969], which was a huge accomplishment for an American as they [the Porsche family] preferred sticking to drivers from their home country," said son James Buzzetta of his father's legacy. "His success continued throughout his career with the brand, where he earned a reputation for being fast, earning consistent results, and always bringing the car home in one piece."

Joe Buzzetta's most notable success was Porsche's first-place win at the 1967 Nürburgring 1000-kilometer race, followed by multiple victories at Daytona and Sebring, both in Florida, and other U.S. races. After achieving success on the racetrack, Buzzetta realized his passion was in cars. With his father's blessing, he left the restaurant business to open a repair shop called Competition Engineering with his racing mechanic and partner, Oscar Rubio.

"Due to his incredible success racing Porsches, Dad was able to get an audience with the franchise and the Porsche family itself granted him a retail point in Smithtown. Once he had a foothold, he worked hard to grow the business and nurtured it into a successful enterprise, adding BMW, Mercedes and Datsun [later Nissan] over the years," his daughter said of what is now Competition Automotive Group.

Joe Buzzetta even bought back some of the cars he raced for his collection, including four cars from the ’60s. He attracted visits from Porsche enthusiasts around the world, including Jerry Seinfeld and Jay Leno. Aside from automotives, Buzzetta enjoyed golfing, skiing and boating, and he earned a pilot's license too. An avid fitness enthusiast, he exercised daily and kept busy in some form or another, his children said.

"Dad treasured his time at the office and continued to go in up until his final years. We believe the business was indeed the central passion that drove his life, and there was never a day that went by that he wasn’t thinking on it," said his daughter.

Joe Buzzetta's wife, Valerie, predeceased him in 2015. Other survivors include eldest son Joseph Buzzetta Jr.; grandchildren James, Daniel, Christopher, Valerie, Jennifer, Isabella, Joseph III, Pablo and Lailla; and great-grandchildren Blair and James III.

A funeral Mass was celebrated Jan. 23 at Saints Philip and James Roman Catholic Church in St. James. Donations in his memory may be made to St. Charles Hospital in Port Jefferson and The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research.

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