1954 Porsche 550 RS Spyder

The fledgling Porsche company introduced its first model in 1948, the 356/2 wearing aluminum hand-hammered body panels by its workshop in Gmünd, Austria. By 1950, after relocating to Stuttgart, the earliest factory-produced 356 cars continued to wear the flat-pane, split-windshield design of the 'Gmünd' era before switching to the one-piece 'bent' windshield in late 1952. The 356 represented the factory's competition efforts during the early-1950s, often securing class victories at many of the races they attended. To compete at motorsport's highest levels, Porsche understood a true purpose-built race car was needed. To that end, the 550 Spyder, and its successors the 550A and 718, were constructed and became some of history's most important and significant race cars, earning class and overall wins in numerous races. Weighing a mere 1,200 pounds, the 550 Spyder was incredibly nimble and agile, and coupled with its four-cam engine meant it had an impressive power-to-weight ratio. At its first race, chassis 550-001 was driven by Helmut Glöckler to a rain-soaked victory at the 1953 Eiffel Races at the Nürburgring. During that same year, chassis 550-001 and 002 claimed class victories at Le Mans (15th and 16th overall), the Carrera Panamericana, and the Buenos Aires 1000 Km.

Inspired by the mid-engined Glockler specials of the early 1950s, the 'Project 550' used a steel tube ladder frame with six cross members for the first two chassis. The suspension was similar to the production of Porsche vehicles with modifications to cope with the powerful engines and the rigors of competition. Ernst Fuhrmann was tasked with building the competition engine, but when it was not ready in time, a 356 1500 Super engine was installed.

The competition engine (Type 547) developed by Fuhrmann for the 550 had a displacement size of 1498cc, allowing it to qualify for 1500cc racing classes. The four-cylinder unit had two overhead camshafts for each set of two cylinders driven by vertical shafts. The aluminum air-cooled boxer engine used twin 2-barrel Solex PJJ downdraft carburetors and dual ignition. Initially, it offered nearly 110 horsepower and 89 lb-ft of torque at 5,000 RPM. Construction of the engine coincided with the introduction of the third 550 chassis, which used a modified version of the tubular frame. The first two chassis had worn coupe coachwork, but the third chassis received a new roadster body penned by Erwin Komenda. The engine was mounted in front of the rear axle (mid-engine placement) providing balanced weight distribution. It was backed by a fully synchronized 4-speed gearbox until 1956 when a five-speed gearbox was used.

Chassis number 003 made its racing debut at the 1953 Hockenheim Grand Prix but was unable to match the speeds of the 550 Coupe (with removable hardtop). The following week, Hans Stuck placed third with the quad-cam roadster in a hillclimb. A short time later, at the Paris Motorshow, Porsche officially revealed the Fuhrmann quad-cam engine and announced the 550 RS Spyder would enter production for privateers. The car on display at Paris was the fifth example built and showcased several new road-going amenities such as a lockable glove compartment, two seats, a full-width windscreen with wipers, and a convertible top.

Two customer Coupes were built to contest the Carrera PanAmericana race and once again proved very capable in the 1500cc class. The 550-01 driven by Jaroslav Juhan was the fastest of the two, but he was unable to finish the race, leaving Jose Herrarte's 550-02 to claim the victory. This would be the start of a very successful career for the Porsche 550 in the Carrera Panamericana, with a quad-cam 550 Spyder (550-04) repeating the class victory a year later, placing third overall in the process. The accomplishments in the race soon earned Fuhrmann's engine the name 'Carrera.'

the silver Werke cars wore spears of different colors on the rear fenders to distinguish each example on the track and in the pits. Hans Herrmann's car was particularly famous with its No. 41 and 'red-tail' earning numerous victories.

The Porsche 550 was produced by Porsche from 1953 to 1956, and including the prototypes, a total of 90 examples were built. It was both a road and track car, with many privateers driving their vehicle to the track, racing it, then driving it home.

The Porsche 550 and 550A were replaced in 1957 by the Porsche 718, commonly known as the RSK, earning even more victories for the company. The 550A wore a similar design to the earlier 550, but utilized a spaceframe chassis and an improved version of the 547 engine offering upwards of 135 horsepower.

by Daniel Vaughan | Jun 2021