The mid-engine, air-cooled Porsche Type 550, the company's first purpose-built competition car, was built from 1953 to 1956 with 90 examples constructed. They were very successful in the 1.1- and 1.5-liter classes, and were powered by the Type 547 dual-overhead-cam flat-four engine, later renamed the Carrera motor after its success in the Under 1,500cc Class at the 1954 Carrera Panamericana road race.

Porsche-based racing specials had been successfully competing in various racing arenas since the early 1950s. This enthusiasm and success convinced the Zuffenhausen team to focus on a proper racing machine. Ernst Fuhrmann worked on designing a competition engine, designated project 547. Wilhelm Hild worked on the chassis, designated project 550. The exterior design was similar to the Glockler special of the early 1950s with a low and aerodynamic design and mid-engine configuration. The ladder frame was formed from steel tubes and six cross members, with the suspension and brakes similar to the one found on the production Porsche models, albeit strengthened and improved to handle the stresses of competition. Power was from a modified 356 engine placed between the rear axle and the driver.

The first 550 in roadster configuration made its racing debut at the Eiffel Races at the Nurburging, where it battled through poor weather and a faulty carburetor to its first victory. The Fuhrmann-designed engine was not yet ready, so it was powered by a tuned Overhead Valve, 356 1500 Super engine. Two coupe body examples were entered at LeMans in the 1101 - 1500cc class where they easily won the class and finished 15th and 16th overall. Again the Fuhrmann-designed engine was still in development, and work would continue through the year. The new 547 engine was given a larger bore and shorter stroke than the 356-based engine, with a displacement of 1,498cc and two overhead camshafts per cylinder.

For the third 550, it was given a new roadster body designed by Erwin Komenda, the new Fuhrmann-designed engine, and a more refined tubular frame. The completed car was built in time for the 1953 Hockenheim Grand Prix. Before the race, Hans Herrmann drove the car during practice and despite the improvements, the car was unable to achieve the speeds of the 550 Coupe. A week later, it was driven by Hans Stuck to a third-place finish in a hillclimb.

The 1953 season had been about development and testing. Going into the 1954 season, Porsche announced the 550 RS Spyder would be made available to privateers. This announcement was made at the Paris Motorshow with the show car being the fifth 550 constructed. Differences of this car compared to the prior cars included a convertible top, lockable glove compartment, two seats, and a full-width windscreen with wipers. Changes, modifications, and updates would continue through much of the 550's racing career. Porsche spent much of 1954 fine-tuning the 550 before finally making them available to privateers near the end of the year. 1956 brought about the 550A which had a similar appearance to the prior 550, but with several important changes included a more advanced spaceframe chassis and a 547 engine tuned to produce over 130 horsepower. Next came the 550A RS Spyder followed by the final evolution of the Carrera-based racing spyder, introduced in January of 1960, the RS 60 - officially classified as a Type 718. Changes from the preceding model included larger brakes, 15-inch wheels, an independent wishbone rear suspension, and a wider cockpit. The wheelbase was enlarged by four inches over the 718 RSK, an advanced suspension installed, and smaller wheels fitted, resulting in more predictable and preferable handling dynamics. Power continued to be sourced from a variety of four-cam engines. Exterior modifications were performed by Karrosserie Wendler, which included changes to the nose, head fairing, and doors. A framed windscreen and luggage platform were added to comply with mandates by the FIA.

70 examples of the 550 RS Spyer were built and eighteen RS 60 examples, with 14 of those sold to privateering customers. The customer car chassis numbers began with 718-051 with the factory Works cars ranging from 718-041 to 718-044. The four Works cars were given different specifications including separate left and right front torsion bars in a similar configuration to the 718/2 Formula 2 cars. They had integrated driving lamps and a flat-black dashboard-mounted with an exposed fuse box.

The cars built in 1960 were known as the RS 60 Spyder and those built a year later to the same specification were labeled RS 61 Spyder. A coupe version was also developed, along with an open car known as the W-RS whose racing career would span into 1964 when it was replaced by the 904. The W-RS had a larger two-liter engine and eventually a flat eight-cylinder 2.0-liter Type 771 unit producing 240 horsepower. A W-RS finished 8th at Le Mans in 1963 and won the European Hill Climb Championship title in 1963.

The 1.6-liter engine of the RS 60 produced 160 horsepower and helped carry the Porsche to victory at the 1960 12 Hours of Sebring driven by Hans Hermann and Olivier Gendebien. Hermann, Jo Bonnier, and Graham Hill won the Targa Florio with Hermann and for the third year in a row, Porsche successfully defended their European Hill Climb Championship. A year later, the RS 61 would successfully defend the championship time for another year for Porsche. Porsche would go on to win a European Hill Climb Championship every year until 1982, a total of 42 titles.

The Porsche RS 60 finished second and fourth at the Nurburgring. For LeMans, Porsche entered a team of four specially prepared cars consisting of three works RS60s (718-042, 718-043, 718-044) and a Carrera Abarth GTL (1001). The three RS60s were powered by the Type 547 engine, with chassis number 718-043 and 718-044 being fitted with larger 1,606cc versions. This allowed Porsche to move into the two-liter class, which permitted a larger 100-liter fuel tank. The bodywork of the RS60 was modified with a higher rear deck lid and tall Plexiglas side windows faired into the new FIA-mandated windshield, preserving the Spyders low and aerodynamic appearance. The factory works cars were clocked as high as 145 mph whereas the standard RS60 privateer cars could barely achieve 138 mph.

Similar to the 1959 race, the works Porsches were plagued by engine trouble during the 1960 LeMans race, and both 718-043 and 718-044 failed to finish the race. The team would finish twelfth overall and second in class.

The Porsche RS 60, with its spaceframe chassis, was an important step in Porsche's endeavors to win at LeMans. They took the Porsche marque from being Class to Overall contenders in many events and were the final evolution of Porsche's competition four-cam Spyder, a legendary series of sports cars that can be traced back to the original Type 550 of 1953.

by Dan Vaughan

Spyder
Chassis number: 718-060
Engine number: 90254

The RS-60 marked Porsche's hurdle into the big league of racing. Built in response to changing FIA regulations dictating frame width and windshield height, the RS-60 was on evolution of the '718 Series' RSK, itself a successful sports/racing car utilizing Porsche's fabled small bore 4 cam motor. The year 1960 witnessed Porsche losing the world manufacturer's championship by the slimmest of margins with the RS-60 defeating the mighty Ferrari's and Maserati's at Sebring and the Targo Florio. Throughout its racing career, 718-060 was never crashed and today retains all of its original components including body, engine and transaxle. Although this particular car did not participate in the Targa Florio it represents the RS60s that did.

Spyder
Chassis number: 718-061

Porsche factory records show that only 22 RS 60s were produced, and that chassis number 718-061 was delivered on October 6th of 1960, to Don Berzin of Pennsylvania. The car was sold by Bill (Murf) Mayberry, who was the chief mechanic for Bob Holbert and Roger Penske. This car is believed to be one of Bob Holbert's cars, which was simply brokered by Mayberry. Mayberry sold the car to Herb Wetanson, a famous restaurateur and racer. Jerry McCarthy prepared the car for racing and campaigned it for Wetanson in the 1960s. Wetanson owned the car for over 40 years before selling it to the current owner.

Spyder
Chassis number: 718-041

The Targa Florio coursed through a Sicilian countryside with a landscape that was medieval in some sports, ancient in others and breathtakingly beautiful throughout. To survive 10 laps of its mountainous and punishing 44.64-mile circuit was an accomplishment. To win the Targa Florio was truly remarkable. This car won the Targa Florio in 1960, and Porsche won seven Targas during that decade. The remaining three were taken by Ferrari. The rivalry was fierce. Because of Ferrari's horsepower advantage, journalists referred to Porsche as 'giant killers.' A second in the Nurburgring 1000 followed this car's Targa win. Despite fellow team cars having a good season as well, Maranello won the war. Totaling up the points at season's end showed a Ferrari-Porsche tie, but the FIA's more-total-victories bonus gave the 1960 Manufacturers Championship to Ferrari for the fifth straight year.

Spyder
Chassis number: 718-044
Engine number: 90505

Boasting of a driver listing that reads like a who's who of motor racing elite, chassis 718-044 would have to be considered one of the most remarkable of Porsche's incredible RS60. Names like Moss, Hill, Holbert, Bonnier, Barth and Herrmann all blend together to make for one iconic Porsche sportscar.

Considered the ultimate expression of Porsche's four-cam aportscars, the RS60 carried the burden undertaken successfully by the 356. The RS60 would not only carry the burden, it would routinely punch well above its weight class and defined what Porsche would become famous for throughout the decades to follow.

This particular chassis would be among the elite before it even turned a wheel. One of just four works RS60 chassis built, 718-044 would begin life taking part in the biggest race of them all. Driven by Maurice Trintignant and Hans Herrmann in the 1960 24 Hours of Le Mans, the car would do well until a piston failure ended its first race outing. However, defeat was not to be this car's lease on life.

Following Le Mans, the Porsche would end up in the hands of Bob Holbert and he would campaign the car quite successfully earning a number of podium finishes throughout the remainder of the '60 season.

Unsuccessfully campaigned by Herrmann and Edgar Barth in the 1961 12 Hours of Sebring, the car would then be driven by Stirling Moss and Graham Hill in the Targa Florio that year. Despite starting first, reliability problems would ensure there would be no fairytale end for the car will Moss and Hill as its pilots.

Following victory in the Marlboro 6 Hour race, Holbert would seemingly pick up right where he left off the previous year earning podium after podium and more than a couple of victories. Things would turn serious, however, in Canada when Holbert suffered an accident in the car. The car coming to rest on its roof, Holbert would manage to slither out of the car relatively unharmed. In fact, to prove there were no hard feelings, Holbert would take the repaired Porsche to victory a couple of months later in the Governor's Trophy race in the Bahamas.

Though no longer a part of the official works team, the Porsche RS60 would enjoy a great deal of success while driven by Holbert. Eventually, the car's racing days would begin to lessen and it would end up as part of Warren Eads' personal collection.

Even to this very day, the Porsche RS60 remains an impressive automobile, and, 718-044 would have to be considered one of the most significant.

There would be just a total of four RS60s built for the Porsche works team. Out of those four produced, three are held in Porsche's museum. This makes 718-044 the only former works RS60 in public hands. And, with a driver lineup that boasts of some of the best in motor racing history, it would be hard to say this particular examples isn't just as significant and noteworthy.

Featured as part of the Gooding & Company's 2015 Pebble Beach auction, 718-044 would be certainly honored as a noteworthy example of the RS60 breed. Initially drawing estimates ranging from between $5,500,000 and $7,000,000, the car would still attract and great deal of attention when it came across the block. In the end, the Porsche would sell for a healthy $5,400,000. The price would certainly reflect the view the fact 718-044 remains one of the most significant of Porsche's spyders.

by Jeremy McMullen

Spyder
Chassis number: 718-041

The legendary Targa Florio ran annually through the tortuous Sicilian countryside for nearly seven decades. The island landscape was medieval in some spots, ancient in others, and breathtakingly beautiful throughout. To survive ten laps of the brutally mountainous 44.64-mile circuit was an accomplishment; to win the Targa was a truly remarkable achievement. The car on display won the legendary race in 1960. Indeed, Porsche won seven Targas during that decade against some of the other great names in motor racing, such as Ferrari, Maserati, and Ford.

The Porsche-Ferrari rivalry at that time was fierce, and because of Ferrari's horsepower advantage journalists often referred to the Porsches as 'giant killers.' By 1960, Ferrari's determined efforts had extended the already considerable horsepower gap. Porsche had been expected to reply with a show of brute strength, but didn't as neither the engine nor transmission was significantly changed in the new RS-60. After all, a Testa Rossa had not been able to interrupt the relatively diminutive Porsche RSK's one-two-three finish the year before.

A second in the Nurbugring 1000 followed this car's Targa win. In addition to racing, this car, 718-041, served the factory as a Porsche test bed for various transmissions and later the 2.0-liter Type 587 engine.

Spyder
Chassis number: 718-042

For the 1960 season, the FIA changed the regulations to try and bring sports-racing cars closer to normal road cars. They did so by modifying the rules for Appendix C (sports cars) to be more like Appendix J (GT cars). This required Porsche to modify the previously successful 718 (RSK) competition cars with a wider cockpit, wider and taller windshield, bigger doors and room allocated for the 'FIA' suitcase. The new 718 competition car was called the RS60.

This Porsche RS60 is chassis number 718 042 and is one of four factory works cars. The works featured include split front torsion bars, fuse panel on the dash, inside windshield wiper, apex driving lights and accessory door tank. Porsche's first over-all victory at the 12 Hours of Sebring and the 1961 European Hill Climb Championship was with this car. It was driven by Jo Bonnier and Hans Herrmann who won by a formidable 9 lap margin at Sebring over the second-place 'sister car.'

The RS60-61 series cars were the final model in the Spyder series and became known as 'Giant Killers' of the era for their high placings against the larger displacement Italian Ferraris and Maseratis of the same period. This car was also a class winner and fifth overall at the 1960 Targa Florio FIA race, maintaining the continuing reliability and durability of the Spyder era cars.

This was Porsche's first overall winner of the 12 Hours of Sebring driven by Olivier Gendebien and Porsche factory driver Hans Herrmann. Playing the role of 'giant killer' and 'underdog' to the hilt, the 1.6-liter flat-four '042' moved into the top five during the fourth hour against the much larger and more powerful competition. It took the lead during the eighth hour spearheading a one-two Porsche RS60 overall sweep to claim Porsche's first win in the World Championship Florida 12 Hour enduro. The Sebring winner then logged victory in the 1961 European Hillclimb Championship ultimately scoring 15 overall and 17 class victories in its long career making it the most successful RS60 of all time.

Spyder
Chassis number: 718-044
Engine number: 90505

S.N. 718.044 - Famous for Stirling Moss's almost win at the 1961 Targa Florio when the gearbox seized with less than three km to go in the race. The numbers in the names refer to the year in which it was built. Campaigned both by the factory and by private teams, these cars performed impressively at major races in the early 1960s.

After World War II, Walter Glockler of Frankfurt was one of the first to own a Volkswagen dealership. He was an amateur motorcycle racer that had ventured into auto racing once he had financial backing from his successful dealership. One of his engineers working at the dealership had worked on prewar Adler sports cars and had amassed a wealth of racing knowledge and expertise. In 1948 they modified a Hanomag engine and placed it mid-ship creating a very competitive racer. In 1950 they continued with their mid-engined configuration but switched to an L1-liter Porsche engine. The rear suspension was reversed and mounted to a tube-frame chassis with the driver sitting in the center of the vehicle to optimize weight distribution. The body was created by C. H. Weidenhausen and constructed of aluminum and weighed less than 1000 pounds. The combination was enough to gain Glockler the 1100 cc Sports Car Championship. For the following season, Glockler had the engine converted to run on alcohol which improved the horsepower output and kept it competitive for another season. These were the beginnings of the highly successful Glockler specials.

Collaboration between Porsche and Glockler began. Porsche was seeking publicity and recognition for his products to further stimulate sales while Glockler enjoyed the latest engine development and new products. This partnership continued for a number of years before Porsche began building his own series of racing cars. Ernst Fuhrmann was given the task of creating an engine suitable for competition; the project was dubbed 547, while Wilhelm Hild was tasked with creating a new chassis, dubbed Project 550. The resulting design was similar to the mid-engined Glockler, consisting of a steel tube ladder frame with six cross members. The drivetrain from a 356 was modified and placed behind the driver but in front of the rear axle. The suspension was basically a stock 356 unit with minor modifications to accommodate the extra weight and demands of racing.

Hild completed two chassis but the engine development was still not ready. Instead, an engine from a 356 1500 Super was modified to run on alcohol, resulting in nearly 100 horsepower, and installed in the engine bay. It was then slightly detuned to achieve an optimal compression of 9.0:1 which lowered the horsepower to nearly 80 but increased its reliability.

The first Porsche 550, outfitted with a Roadster body, had its racing debut at the Eiffel Races at Nurburging. Piloted by Helm Glockler, the Porsche immediately proved its capabilities. Unfortunately, the weather was poor and there were problems with a carburetor but it was not enough from keeping Glockler and the 550 from winning the race. Even with strong competition, its first race had been victorious. Porsche turned his sights onto the grueling but prestigious 24 Hours of LeMans endurance race.

LeMans is a high-speed track and manufacturers often build custom bodies for their cars to take advantage of better aerodynamics to achieve higher speeds. Two cars were prepared by Porsche for the race, both with coupe bodies. They were entered into the 1101-1500 cc class and by the end of the race had easily beaten the competition. Overall, they had finished 15th and 16th. Porsche 550-02 driven by Richard Frankenberg and Paul Frere were awarded the class victory. The cars were later raced in two German competition events.

Ernst Furhmann continued on his engine development project, under strict direction to stay in the 1500 cc limit. He borrowed from one of his previous designs; a flat-12 engine used in the Cisitalia Grand Prix car. It had a large bore and a small stroke. Instead of using the overhead valve configuration of the 356's, he went with an overhead camshaft design where each set of two cylinders had two overhead camshafts driven by shafts. When the new engine was complete, it was placed in a new 550 chassis which had continued the evolution of design, strength, rigidity, and weight reduction. It was still a tubular frame but had been modified through knowledge gained from testing and racing. A new body was created, designed by Erwin Komenda, and in a similar fashion to the original bodies of the other 550's.

This newly developed 550 was first shown to the public at the 1953 Hockenheim Grand Prix where it was unable to match the speeds of the 550 Coupe. It was raced a week later at a Hillclimb where it scored a respectable third-place finish. A month later a fifth 550 was on display at the Paris Motorshow where it was accompanied by news that the 550 RS Spyder would soon enter production and be available in 1954. The show car had a few luxurious that was void on the other racers, such as a full windshield with wipers, seating for two, a convertible top, and the convenience of a lockable glove-box. Porsche worked hard on getting the 550's ready for racing during 1953 and 1954. Near the close of 1954, the vehicles were ready. In the hands of capable privateers, the 550's quickly began amassing many victories often beating the larger engine competition. One of the owners of a 550 Spyder, serial number 550-0055, was the legendary James Dean who nicknamed his machine 'Little Bastard.' On September 30th, 1955 at the intersection of Highways 466 and 41, James Dean's life came to a close while driving the 550 Spyder.

The original two 550's were prepared for the Carrera Panamerica race in 1953. Adorned with sponsor stickers and livery the two cars easily dominated the 1500 cc class. Jose Herrate's 550-02 emerged victorious though 550-01, driven by Jaroslav Juhan, was the faster of the two but forced to retire due to mechanical difficulties. The following year 550-04, outfitted with the Fuhrmann quad-cam engine, was entered into the Carrera Panamerica race where it finished third overall and first in class. In honor of these accomplishments, the 356 models outfitted with the Fuhrmann engine were now dubbed 'Carrera'.

In total there were around 90 examples of 550 RS Spyders created with 78 being sectioned for public use. In 1956 Porsche introduced the 550A which looked nearly identical to its predecessor but featured many mechanical improvements including a spaceframe chassis coupled to a Fuhrmann four-cam 547 engine capable of producing over 130 horsepower. It featured a five-speed manual gearbox and multi-link suspension which greatly improved the handling while reducing over-steer.

The Porsche 550 was a very successful car that showcased the capabilities and creativity of Porsche. Throughout the years to come, new Porsches were created that were bigger, better, and faster, and continued the tradition on the racing circuits of this historic pedigree.

by Dan Vaughan

1959/60 Porsche 718 RS 60 Spyder

Automobile sport was part of the picture for the fledgling Porsche sports car firm from the first. The 356 quickly became popular around the world, in the hands of private drivers with sporting ambitions. New racesports cars were developed in Zuffenhausen at the beginning of the fifties: the1.5 liter 550 Spyder proved a shark in the goldfish bowl against larger-displacement competitors in major races. This Spyder used the first engine developed by Porsche for Porsche: the Type 547 with 1.5 liter displacement and four, shaft-driven, overhead camshafts.

Porsche had made the change from a floor pan to tubular space frame for racesport construction, established the five-speed gearbox, continued to increase performance and fitted larger drum brakes. These improvements, along with countless other modifications, kept the Spyder at the head of the ' small sports car class ' (up to 1500 cc) throughout the fifties.

But 1960 brought new regulations for racesports cars, leading to the Spyder RS 60 with displacement increased to 1600 cc, larger windshield, a 'functional' top and a regulation trunk in the tail, behind a four-cam engine which now produced 160 HP. This RS 60 brought Porsche its finest results up to that time, particularly in long-distance events. While an overall victory in the 44th Targa Florio in 1960 by Bonnier/Herrmann, with a lead of more than 6 minutes over a 3 liter Ferrari, was within the range of previous achievements - sports cars from Zuffenhausen had already captured overall Targa Florio victories in l956 and 1959 - a new Porsche chapter opened with the first appearance of the RS 60 at the 12 hours of Sebring in the USA. Olivier Gendebien and Hans Herrmann won outright while Holbert/Scheckter/Fowler drove a second factory RS 60 into second, ahead of Nethercutt/Lovely in a 3 liter Ferrari Dino. Swiss driver Heini Walter, at the wheel of an RS 60, secured Porsche's third and fourth European Hillclimb Championships in 1960 and 1961, following those from 1958 by Count Berghe von Trips and 1959 by Edgar Barth.

by Porsche