1955 Porsche 550 RS Spyder Spyder

The 550 RS Spyder, introduced at the Paris Auto Show in late 1953, was their first model designed specifically for racing applications. The lightweight aluminum body and remarkably powerful 1500cc, four-cam power plant quickly earned them their reputation as 'giant killers' on the track.

After almost a year of development, the first customer car deliveries occurred in 1955. A total of seventy-eight 550 RS Spyders were built before being superseded by the 550A. This example was sold new to an American customer who raced it extensively. In its first two years of competition, its many victories included a national championship.

550.073 was imported by United States distributor Hoffman Motors in December 1955 and purchased by Long Island, New York VW-Porsche dealer, Paul Sagan, intending to promote his Porsche dealership. Sagan started at Thompson, racing 550-0073 in June 1956, and he often finished first or second in each race. He finished second in the SCCA F Modified points standing (national FM standings behind Jack McAfee) in the 1956 season.

Before the 1957 season, it was expertly 'swiss-cheesed' like the factory hill climb Spyders to reduce weight. Known as the 'Giant Killer', the aluminum-bodied Spyder is powered by a four-overhead cam, flat four-cylinder 1,498 cubic-inch engine. It is an effective package with 108 hp at 6,200 rpm and a dry weight of 1,349.2 pounds. As the first series of pure-bred Porsche racing cars, Spyders are the progenitor of all that followed.

Unfortunately, at Lime Rock in 1957, his new light and agile 550 crashed and rolled numerous times, causing extensive damage. The car was then parted, including the quad-cam engine, with the body sent to a Ferrari repair shop. The car was there for an extended time before Sagan sold it half-finished to friend Bill Dunne. The car 550-073 was restored in 2010 and acquired by its current owner from the Jon Shirley Collection that same year. It has recently received a comprehensive restoration.