1959 Porsche Durlite Special

This racing special is known as the Durlite Porsche 550A Special. It appears to have begun life as a Porsche 550A Spyder which was crashed in its first race by either Bob Webb or Bob Staples. The Indianapolis, Indiana-based Durlite Company built a replacement body with all of the mechanical components sourced from Porsche. Power was originally from a 1600 RSK motor backed by a five-speed manual transmission, and the brakes, wheels, and front suspension are from the 550 racer. In the front are Dunlop racing tires measuring 500L-15 while 550L-15 are at the rear. Originally it had drum brakes but currently it has discs. The RSK motor has also been replaced with a 356 unit.

Since it has a dry-sump engine, there is an oil tank located to the right of the cockpit. The fuel tank is found ahead of the cockpit and to the right-hand side, counterbalanced by the driver on the left. There is a fuel-filler cap located on the hood of the car, where a passenger might sit if there were room. There is a wraparound and raked perspex windscreen which is slightly lower than the wheel arches.

The redesigned body featured a smooth, wedge-shaped front end with a shortened Kamm tail in the back. Surprisingly, the redesign produced much less front lift than the existing 550 Spyder, however, this was not known at the time. Years later, it was brought to a wind tunnel where the design was proven to be very aerodynamic.

The ducts in the nose are used to cool the front brakes. Behind the driver is a raised section with louvers that allow cooling for the engine and breathability for the carburetors. The metal around the front wheel arches is flipped out to avoid cutting the tires while cornering. The aluminum bodywork is unpainted.

Currently, the racing history and success of the Durlite Special is not known.

by Daniel Vaughan | Feb 2020