Porsche 550

"Porsche Spyder" redirects here. For the RS Spyder, seePorsche RS Spyder.

Porsche 550
Overview
Manufacturer	Porsche
Production	1953–1956 90 produced
Assembly	Stuttgart,Germany
Designer	Erwin Komenda
Body and chassis
Class	Sports car
Body style	2-doorcoupé 2-doorspyder
Layout	RMR layout
Powertrain
Engine	1.5L (1,498 cc) DOHCflat four engine
Transmission	4-speedmanual 5-speedmanual
Dimensions
Wheelbase	2,100 mm (82.7 in)
Length	3,600 mm (141.7 in)
Width	1,610 mm (63.4 in)
Height	980 mm (38.6 in)
Curb weight	approximately 550 kg (1,212 lbs)
Chronology
Successor	Porsche 718

ThePorsche 550is a racingsports carproduced byPorschefrom 1953 until 1956. In that time only 90 Porsche 550s were produced, and they quickly established dominance in the 1.1- and 1.5- liter classes. The Porsche 550 is amid-enginecar with an air-cooled four-cylinder engine, following the precedent of the 1948Porsche 356/1prototype designed byFerry Porsche.The mid-engine racing design was further developed with Porsche's718model; its advantages led to it becoming the dominant design for top-level racing cars by the mid-1960s.

The Porsche 550 has a solid racing history; it won theNürburgringEifel Racein May 1953, the first race it entered. The 550 Spyder usually finished in the top three in its class. Each Spyder was designed and customized to be raced.

A 1958 Porsche 550A Spyder sold at auction in 2018 byBonhamsfor $5,170,000 (£4,115,763); it was the highest price for a 550 at auction.

Engine and transmission

The Type 550/550 A is powered by an all aluminium 1,498 cc (1.5 L; 91.4 cu in) (85 x 66 mm)naturally aspiratedair-cooled4 cylinder boxer engineknown as the"Fuhrmann Engine" (Type 547).Itsvalvetrainusesdouble overhead camshaftson each cylinder bank, driven by vertical shafts, actuating 2 valves percylinder.The engine is equipped with twin 2-barrelSolex 40 PIIsandcastedcarburetorsanddual ignition.In its first version it produced 110 PS (108 hp; 81 kW) at 6200 rpm and a maximumtorqueof 121 N⋅m (89 lb⋅ft) at 5000 rpm.

The engine of the 550 is mounted in front of the rear axle making it mid-engined. This gives it a more balanced weight distribution, and allows for largely neutral handling. On the other hand, the low mass moment of inertia about the vehicle's vertical axis can lead to a sudden, difficult to control rotation of the car.Ferdinand Porschehad pioneered this design layout with theAuto UnionGrand Prixcar of the 1930s.

The first 550 had a fully synchronized 4-speed gearbox. Starting in 1956, a 5-speed gearbox was used, but its first gear only had to start and (like the reverse gear) had to be placed over a barrier and not synchronized. Excessive slip to the drive wheels in corners was prevented by alimited slip differential.

History

Spartan interior of a 1955 550 RS from theRalph Lauren car collection

Porsche 550 RS with amber European spec blinkers

Backside of a running 1957 Porsche 550A

Inspired by thePorsche 356which was created by Ferry Porsche, as well asSpyderprototypes built and raced byWalter Glöcklerstarting in 1951, the factory decided to build a car designed for use inauto racing.The Porsche 550 Spyder was introduced at the 1953Paris Auto Show.The 550 was very low to the ground, in order to be efficient for racing. In fact, formerGermanFormula OneracerHans Herrmanndrove it under closed railroad crossing gates during the1954 Mille Miglia.

Racing history

The first three hand-built prototypes came in a coupé with a removable hardtop. The first (550-03) raced as a roadster at the Nurburgring Eifel Race in May 1953 winning its first race. Later that year the 550 took class wins in the24 Hours of Le Mansand theCarrera Panamericana;the Carrera Panamericana win was commemorated with theCarrerabranding for later Porsches with performance options. From 1953 to 1957, the Porsche works team evolved and raced the 550 with outstanding success and was recognized wherever it appeared. The silverWerkecars were painted with spears of different colors on the rear fenders to aid recognition from the pits.Hans Herrmann’s particularly famous ‘red-tail’ car No 41 went from victory to victory. For such a limited number of 90 prototype and customer builds, the 550 Spyder was always in a winning position, usually finishing in the top three results in its class. During its tenure with the works team it was challenged only twice among the smaller cars at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, with a 1.5-literOSCA MT4finishing ahead but disqualified in the 1954 race and a 1.1 literLotus Eleventrailing the 1.5 liter winning 550 by one lap in the 1957 race. The 1956 version, the 550A with a lighter and more rigidspaceframechassis, gave Porsche its first overall win in a majorsports car racingevent, the 1956Targa Florio.During this era Porsche was the first car manufacturer to get race sponsorship, which was through Fletcher Aviation, who Porsche was working with to design a light aircraft engine and later Telefunken andCastrol.

The Porsche 550 of the GermanHans Herrmannfirst place in the Sport category of less than 1500 c.c. in 1954Carrera Panamericana.

The 550 was also raced by privateers, who kept the type in competition after the works team had moved on to the 718 in 1957. The 550 was both a road and track car and it was common for privateers to drive it to the race track, race it, then drive it home. One 550 was purchased by Yugoslav leaderJosip Broz Titofor Milivoje Božić, with which he finished third in the 1000-km Supercortemaggiore Grand Prix atMonza Circuitwith only one set of tyres in 1958 before winning his class in the 1960European Hill Climb Championship;the car was sold toPradain 1961.

Each Spyder was assigned a number for the race and had gumballs positioned on doors, front and rear, to be seen from any angle. On some 550s owned by privateers, a crude hand written number scrawled in house paint usually served the purpose. Cars with high numbers assigned such as 351, raced in the 1000 mile Mille Miglia, where the number represented the start time of 3.51am. On most occasions, numbers on each Spyder would change for each race entered, which today helps identify each 550 by chassis number and driver in period black and white photos.

Its successor from 1957 onwards, thePorsche 718,commonly known as the RSK was even more successful. The Spyder variations continued through the early 1960s, the RS 60 and RS 61. ThePorsche BoxsterS 550 Spyder is a modern mid-engined sports car that pays tribute to the 550; the Spyder name was effectively resurrected with theRS SpyderLe Mans Prototype.

James Dean's 550

Main article:Death of James Dean

One of the first 90 Porsche 550s built wasJames Dean's, numbered 130 (VIN 550-0055), which was involved in a collision at the CA Rte. 46/41 Cholame Junction on September 30, 1955, resulting in Dean's death.

As Dean was finishing upGiant's filming in September 1955, he suddenly traded in his 356 Porsche Super Speedster at Competition Motors, for a new 1955 Porsche 550 Spyder on September 21, and immediately entered the upcoming Salinas Road Race event scheduled for October 1 and 2.

A contemporary of Dean, the rising actorTom Pittmanalso died prematurely when he crashed his Spyder over a cliff in 1958.

Replicas

Replica 550 Spyder, fibreglass panels on custom chassis, powered by VW, Porsche or Alfa Romeo flat-4 engine

The 550 is among the most frequently reproduced classic automobiles.

Complete Formula One World Championship results

Year	Entrant	Chassis	Engine	Tyres	Drivers	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	Points	WCC
1957	Dr Ing F. Porsche KG	RS550	PorscheF4	?		ARG	MON	500	FRA	GBR	GER	PES	ITA				N/A	N/A
					Edgar Barth						12*
					Umberto Maglioli						Ret*
	Ecurie Maarsbergen	RS550	PorscheF4	D	Carel Godin de Beaufort						Ret*
1958	Ecurie Maarsbergen	RS550	PorscheF4	D		ARG	MON	NED	500	BEL	FRA	GBR	GER	POR	ITA	MOR	N/A	N/A
					Carel Godin de Beaufort								Ret*

* Indicates aFormula Twoentry