FINDING GOLD Bruce Margulies

He Knows the Law — Porsche Law

Bruce Margulies is a Porsche fan through and through! Since joining the Gold Coast Region over thirty-seven years ago, he has owned eleven vehicles of the marque. It’s not only the cars. His Porsche collection also includes a vast assortment of scale model Porsches, numerous books, vintage magazine articles, road test reports, and a fairly large compilation of dealer sales brochures from the 1980s through the early ‘90s. The cars, models, and paper content of this assembled group of materials is extensive and exhibits his appreciation for Porsche.

Being an attorney helps. Folks who practice in the law field are excellent readers. They routinely devour vast amounts of written information. Whether it is to determine the basics of a situation, the federal, state, or local law that is applicable, or in reviewing and adjusting contracts or various legal agreements, a strong reading discipline is essential. Perhaps that is why the magazines, road tests, and brochures are of great interest and source of indulgence. As for the Porsche models, after looking at the real car, what could be better than looking at a model of the real car? With Porsches it is simply an eye for their beauty.

Bruce shared the following with regards to his early childhood memories. “I have been into cars since the day I opened my eyes, as far as I can recall. I spent countless hours sitting behind the wheel of my father’s cars making believe I was driving as he sat next to me, sometimes taking a nap while I enjoyed myself.”

He still has a collection of Matchbox-type diecast cars that he started gathering at around 5 or 6 years old. “Buy and hold” seems to be a seed planted at an early age. He also has his very first car, a 1957 Thunderbird, which his father bought for him in 1973. The T-Bird was procured for a paltry $1,300 and father and son Margulies restored that beauty together. The value of that ’57 TBird today may run between $30 and 80K or more—a quality investment. Car number two was a Datsun 260Z as Bruce moved to a more modern auto but stayed in the sporting vehicle fast lane.

Then around 1976 Bruce saw the light! He became fascinated with all things Porsche.

In keeping with his natural demeanor, Bruce still has the original 1976 brochure for the Porsche 911 model lineup, coincidentally which was taped to his college bedroom wall. In 1977 he “convinced” his father to purchase a Porsche 924 Championship Edition. We suspect that it did not take much convincing as Sr. Margulies saw the exclusivity of this vehicle, as well as its great looks and performance abilities. Being a cool dad, Mr. Margulies eventually gave this 924 to Bruce when he started law school.

Towards the end of the three years of law study, Bruce saw that Porsche was introducing a new 944. He read about the hot new vehicle as introduced by Autoweek magazine. Deciding to buy himself a graduation present, he asked his accommodating father to visit the Porsche dealership in Miami and place a deposit on a new 944. As luck would have it, Bruce became the first customer in Miami to purchase the redesigned 944.

A few years later he traded that car in on his first 911, a 1984 Targa. Bruce kept the Targa for five years until it was stolen. A substantial loss at the time, the theft led Bruce to purchase a new 1988 Carrera which he still owns to this day.

Our Die Porsche Kassette readers may remember the April 2022 article, “Monster WERKS,” which offered GCR congratulations to Bruce for his First Place, Blue Ribbon win in class. The 1988 Carrera has been skillfully maintained by the owner, and has never been touched by a detailer, professional or otherwise. The 1988 Carrera is mostly stock but has been modified with Turbo Fuchs (8” and 9”, Front/Rear),a Borla exhaust, and an Autothority performance chip.

Following the ’88 Carrera acquisition, Bruce took a pause in Porsche purchasing. Waiting twenty years he finally got back into the buying spirit and snapped up a 2008 GT3. Now fully engulfed in the Porsche seekand-purchase hobby, Bruce assisted his son with finding and buying a few Caymans. He was also able to find a 2016 GT3 RS, and then a 2019 GT3 RS for himself. Ultimately, he sold the GT3RS to obtain his current 2019 GT3 Touring. At one point Bruce also owned a 2022 GT3 Touring but decided to keep the 2019 instead. We should all face these delicate decisions! Just a man having fun with cars; Porsche passion, perhaps?

He was born in the state of New York but moved to South Florida at an early age with the family. Bruce’s father was an attorney which led Bruce to the field. He attended North Miami

Beach Senior High, and then Florida State University in Tallahassee for his undergraduate degree, a Bachelor of Science, majoring in Government.

Attending the University of Florida law school (now the Levin College of Law), Bruce received his Juris Doctor degree in 1982. He passed the state bar exam and became a member of the Florida Bar in November 1982. He is a member of a Miami-based law firm that specializes in maritime law, focusing on personal injury in boating accidents and cruise ship passengers and crew. With specialization in maritime/admiralty law for the past 20+ years Bruce has evolved as a partner in the successful law firm.

His professional success comes as no surprise. Bruce is well studied and lives in an environment with many opportunities to lend his expertise. The South Florida area embraces the cruise and boating world. Miami and Ft. Lauderdale are the most obvious areas for the practice, but his legal efforts can extend not only throughout the Florida, but all over the world..

Bruce has been married to his lifelong partner, Lisa, for thirty-one years. Together they have raised a son, Mark (30 years old) and a daughter

Shae (25). Mark, a graduate of the University of Florida with a degree in Business Administration, has followed along in his dad’s Porsche passion for quite some time, having owned three Caymans, one of which was a GT4. However, Mark went to the “dark side” with the acquisition of a six-speed Ferrari 360 Modena. Mark still loves and appreciates Porsche and, according to Bruce, he’ll come back one day. Mark is successful in himself as he owns a thriving watch strap company, Horus Straps.

Shae is in medical school, studying at the University of Florida. Upon receiving her Doctor of Medicine degree, she will begin residency next year. Completing the resident stage, Shae will specialize in Dermatology, which requires another three years of effort. At this point there may or may not be a Porsche in her future. Yet somehow we don’t think Bruce, Lisa or brother Mark would be surprised if she soon commanded a Macan, a Taycan, or perhaps her own 911. Currently, she is sporting around school in a Mercedes C300. This family loves cars.

Lisa and Bruce Margulies live in Cooper City, a suburban area just west of Ft. Lauderdale/Hollywood.

Regarding all the model cars, posters, magazines, etc., well, Lisa apparently tolerates these goodies. They are tastefully disbursed around their home, according to Bruce. They do not overwhelm. We suspect that Ms. Lisa quietly appreciates and supports Bruce’s lifelong relationship with automobiles, or perhaps has come to rest on that age-old adage: why fight it?

Bruce suggests his all-time favorite Porsche is the 1973 Carrera RS. There was a recent sale of a ’73 RS on Bring a Trailer, and the auction final sale price was $700,911.00. Bruce was “following” the auction, but apparently did not bid. There is no doubt that this RS would have fit quite nicely in his garage. In the same thought, Bruce is decisive in the fact that the 1988 Carrera is the favorite Porsche he has owned!

He will attend numerous driving events with his fellow Porsche enthusiasts. Owning both an air-cooled and a modern water-pumping Porsche, he enjoys a good rally driving the appropriate vehicle as conditions allow. He also appreciates the great endurance races held in Florida, specifically the 12 Hours of Sebring. Bruce has attended several Porsche Parade events, as well as WERKS Reunion in Amelia each spring.

As a PCA and Gold Coast Region member for 37 years, Bruce Margulies has enjoyed a long relationship with the vehicles, assorted memorabilia, and especially the many wonderful friends he’s made through the association. He has an appreciation for all things PCar. One may term it the “Porsche Law of Attraction,” but there is really nothing legal required. Just Porsche passion.