- Porsche 550
The Porsche 550 was a
sports car produced byPorsche from 1953-1956.Inspired by the
Porsche 356 Speedster which was created and raced byWalter Glöckler in 1951, the factory decided to build such a car, being its first designed specifically for use inauto racing . The 550 is very low to the ground, in order to be efficient for racing. In fact, former GermanFormula One racerHans Herrmann drove it [http://www.solitude-memorial.de/id15carrera.htm under closed railroad crossing gates] during the 1954Mille Miglia The 550 / 1500RS or
Spyder became known as the "Giant Killer", and gave Porsche its first overall win in a majorsports car racing event, the 1956Targa Florio .Its successor from 1957 onwards, the
Porsche 718 , was even more successful, scoring points inFormula One as late as 1963. A descendant of the Porsche 550 is generally considered to be thePorsche Boxster S 550 Spyder; the Spyder name was effectively resurrected with the RS Spyder Le Mans Prototype.The Porsche 550 "Little Bastard" is infamous for being the car in which
James Dean was killed on September 30, 1955.St. Antoine, Arthur. - [http://www.motortrend.com/classic/features/c12_0511_dean_jeffries_interview/index.html "Interview: Dean Jeffries, Hollywood legend"] . - "Motor Trend Magazine"]Replicas
The 550 is among the most frequently reproduced classic automobiles, like the
Shelby Cobra andLotus Seven . Several companies have sprung up in the last 25 years, some of which build near-exact replicas from the ground up, including spaceframes built to exacting specs from Porsche blueprints. Some of the companies that make replicas are [http://www.boulderspeedster.com Boulder Speedster] , [http://www.chuckbeckmotorsports.com/ Chuck Beck Motorsports] , [http://www.automotivelegends.com Automotive Legends] , [http://www.chamonixcars.com.br/ Chamonix do Brasil] , [http://www.thunderranch.com/ Thunder Ranch] , and [http://www.vintagespyders.com/ Vintage Spyders] .References
External links
* [http://www.spyderclub.com/ Spyder club]
* [http://www.thebestporsche.com/news.php?extend.10/ The Best Porsche]
* de icon [http://www.solitude-memorial.de/id15carrera.htm Solitude Memorial]
* 1973 Martin and Walker replica at [http://www.nearthecoast.com/550spyder nearthecoast.com/550spyder]
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