1956 Porsche 550 RS Spyder

The Porsche 550 was a purpose-built race car manufactured from 1953 through 1956. The lighter 550A was built starting in 1956. While it utilized the same flat four-cylinder air-cooled engine designed by Dr. Ernest Fuhrmann, it incorporated several changes that contributed to its racing success. The 550 was built on a ladder chassis while the 550A used a space frame reducing weight by 90 pounds and also adding needed rigidity. This permitted another 60 pounds to be taken off the all-aluminum body which made the 550A a much faster race car with improved handling.

The new 550 won the first race it entered, the Nurburgring Eifel Race in 1953 and continued to be a successful club-racer for many years. The 550A established the model as an international winner. Porsche took just one 550A, driver Umberto Maglioli and two mechanics to Sicily for the 1956 Targa Florio and the 1.5 liter Spyder finished first overall. In 1957, Maglioli's 88.31 mph average, 5th overall and 1st in class finish in the Mille Miglia was Porsche's best ever in the Italian classic.

The 550 design became known as 'The Giant Killer' for routinely beating more powerful race cars. Champion driver Ken Miles described the improvements of the 550A as 'almost unbelievable' and proclaimed it to be the 'greatest long-distance racer in the world'.