Porsche racing history · 1953–1956
Porsche 550 Spyder: History, Specs & Race Wins
By CarWhere Research · Updated
The 550 Spyder, built from 1953, was the first Porsche designed specifically for racing: a mid-engine aluminum roadster with a 1.5-liter, 110 hp four-cam engine. Porsche built 89 Type 550s and 40 of the space-frame 550 A, which gave Porsche its first major overall win at the 1956 Targa Florio.
The 550 was Porsche's first car built from the start for competition rather than adapted from the 356. The engine sat ahead of the rear axle, the body was aluminum, and it used the Type 547 four-cam flat-four designed by Ernst Fuhrmann, the engine that later gave the Carrera name to Porsche road cars. In 1.5-liter form it made 110 hp and took the car to 220 km/h.
Small engine or not, the 550 won against far larger cars. It took class wins at Le Mans and the Carrera Panamericana, finished third overall in Mexico in 1954, and in lighter 550 A form, with a tubular space frame, won the 1956 Targa Florio outright. Many 550s went to private customers, and one of them, James Dean's car number 130, became the most famous Porsche of its era for the wrong reason.
550 Spyder history, year by year
- 1953 — Production of the Type 550 begins; at Le Mans, Hans Herrmann and Helm Glöckler win the up-to-1.5-liter class in a 550 coupe.[1],[2]
- 1953 — A 550 wins its class at the Carrera Panamericana.[3]
- 1954 — Hans Herrmann and Herbert Linge duck under a closed railway barrier in the Mille Miglia; at the Carrera Panamericana Herrmann finishes third overall and wins the 1500 cc sports class.[2],[4]
- 1955 — James Dean takes delivery of his 550 Spyder, race number 130, on September 21 and dies in it on September 30 while driving to a race in Salinas, California.[5]
- 1956 — The 550 A arrives with a tubular space frame; Umberto Maglioli drives one to the overall win in the Targa Florio.[1]
- 1957 — The 718 RSK succeeds the 550 A (34 built).[1]
- 2018 — The 1958 works 550 A, chassis 550A-0145, sells at Bonhams Scottsdale for $5,170,000.[6]
How many 550 Spyders were made?
| Model / variant | Years | Units | What the figure counts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type 550 | from 1953 | 89[1],[7] | Porsche Newsroom figure. Secondary sources often round the 550 to 90 cars. |
| 550 A Spyder | from 1956 | 40[1],[6] | Porsche Newsroom figure; the Bonhams catalog for 550A-0145 also says 40 were built. |
Road-car totals for every Porsche model: Porsche production numbers.
Porsche 550 Spyder specs
| Engine | Type 547 four-cam air-cooled flat-four (Fuhrmann engine), mid-mounted[1],[8] |
|---|---|
| Displacement | 1,498 cc[9] |
| Power | 81 kW (110 hp), 1954 model year[9] |
| Power (late 550 A works car) | 135 bhp with two Weber 40 DCM carburetors (chassis 550A-0145)[6] |
| Top speed | 220 km/h[9] |
| Body / chassis | Aluminum body; 550 A adds a tubular space frame[1],[9] |
| Transmission | Four-speed manual, five-speed from 1956[7] |
| Weight | About 550 kg[7] |
550 Spyder race results and wins
| Year | Event | Result | Car / drivers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1953 | 24 Hours of Le Mans | 1st in 1.5-liter class[2],[8] | 550 coupe — Hans Herrmann / Helm Glöckler |
| 1953 | Carrera Panamericana | Class win[3] | 550 |
| 1954 | Carrera Panamericana | 3rd overall, 1st in Sport class up to 1500 cc[4],[9] | 550 Spyder — Hans Herrmann |
| 1954 | Mille Miglia | Finished after passing under a closing railway barrier[2],[9] | 550 Spyder — Hans Herrmann / Herbert Linge |
| 1956 | Targa Florio | 1st overall[1],[6] | 550 A Spyder — Umberto Maglioli |
| 1958 | 24 Hours of Le Mans | 5th overall, 2nd in class[6] | 550 A, chassis 550A-0145 (works car) |
What made the 550 Spyder significant
- Porsche describes the 550 Spyder as the first Porsche built especially for racing.[9]
- The 1956 Targa Florio win by the 550 A was Porsche's first overall victory in a major sports-car race and the first of its 11 Targa Florio wins.[1],[6]
- The four-cam Fuhrmann engine developed for the 550 later powered the 356 Carrera road cars, and the Carrera name itself came from the 550's Carrera Panamericana results.[3],[8]
- James Dean's 550, race number 130, is remembered as "Little Bastard"; he died in it on September 30, 1955 while driving to the Salinas road races.[5],[10]
- The 550 began Porsche's line of mid-engine Spyders: the 550 A led to the 718 RSK of 1957 and the RS 60 and RS 61 that followed.[1]
550 Spyder market context: dated sale results
Factory-raced 550 As with documented history sit at the top of the market. The 550A-0145 result includes buyer's premium.
| Date | Sale | Car | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 2018 | Bonhams Scottsdale | 1958 Porsche 550A Spyder, chassis 550A-0145 (ex-works, 1958 Le Mans) | $5,170,000[6] |
The 550 Spyder and Porsche's road cars
The Porsche 550 Spyder was built to race. For the road cars that share its engineering, history and factory records, start here:
Porsche 550 Spyder FAQ
How many Porsche 550 Spyders were made?
Porsche says it built 89 Type 550 cars from 1953 and 40 of the later 550 A Spyder from 1956. Secondary sources often give 90 for the 550.
How fast is a Porsche 550 Spyder?
The 1954 car's 1,498 cc four-cam flat-four made 110 hp, and Porsche quotes a top speed of 220 km/h (about 137 mph).
What did the 550 Spyder win?
Class wins at Le Mans in 1953 and at the Carrera Panamericana, third overall in Mexico in 1954 with Hans Herrmann, and, as the 550 A, the overall win at the 1956 Targa Florio with Umberto Maglioli.
Was James Dean's car a 550 Spyder?
Yes. Dean took delivery of a silver 550 Spyder on September 21, 1955 and raced it as number 130. The car is widely known as "Little Bastard." He died in it on September 30, 1955 while driving to a race in Salinas, California.
How much is a Porsche 550 Spyder worth?
Prices depend heavily on history. The ex-works 1958 550 A, chassis 550A-0145, sold at Bonhams Scottsdale in January 2018 for $5,170,000 including premium.
Related Porsche race cars and specials
Porsche history, specs and production research
Sources
Dates, production counts, specifications and results on this page come from the sources below. Where sources disagree, the page says so or uses Porsche's own figure.
- Time travel: The Porsche 718 — Porsche Newsroom
- Porsche congratulates Motor Sport Legend Hans Herrmann — Porsche Newsroom
- Fifty years of the Porsche 911 Carrera RS 2.7 — Porsche Newsroom
- 718 Spyder RS Panamericana Special: A tribute to a historic victory — Porsche Newsroom
- Unforgotten — Porsche Newsroom (Christophorus)
- Bonhams Cars : 1958 Porsche 550A Spyder Chassis no. 550A-0145 Engine no. P90127 — Bonhams
- Porsche 550 — Wikipedia (secondary reference)
- The fantastic Fuhrmann — Porsche Newsroom
- Porsche 550 Spyder — Porsche Newsroom (Porsche Museum press kit)
- Death of James Dean — Wikipedia (secondary reference)
Independent reference published by CarWhere — not affiliated with or endorsed by Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG. Porsche, 911, Carrera and Speedster are trademarks of their owner.