1954 Porsche 550 Spyder

A Legend’s Predecessor

CarshowClassic.com tells the story. 

It isn’t unusual for car manufacturers to look at their previous car models for inspiration. And the 1954 Porsche 550 Spyder has indeed inspired one of the best and the most powerful racing cars competing today, a testament to the power of this 1950s classic car.

Everyone is probably familiar with the Porsche RS Spyder, one of Porsche’s-latest and most successful forays into the world of racing. The RS Spyder marked Porsche’s-return to racing after almost a decade of absence. 

It made its debut in the Le Mans Series in 2005, and its winning streak continued-for a number of years, making it one of the best racing cars today a mean feat considering how tough-the competition is today. Therefore, it’s not really surprising that the Porsche RS Spyder was-named and somewhat modeled after another iconic Porsche model: the Porsche 550. 

The Porsche 550 Spyder was created after their very first car production, the-Porsche 356, and some spyder prototypes they have created with Walter Glocker starting in the early-1950s. There are very few Porsche 550 Spyder built, although this doesn’t really mean the-model wasn’t successful; unlike the 356, the 550 was a racing car, meant to compete in the-race tracks to gain a much needed winning reputation beyond the commercial-market. 

In any case, the Porsche 550 Spyder was built using the configurations created by-the son of Porsche’s founder. But while the 356 was a moderate commercial success, the-engineers of the car found many shortcomings regarding its design. For one, although it was an-excellent commercial car, it was too heavy to be a race car. Its body was made from steal and its-structure was not meant for good handling. This made the 356 an insufficient racing car, despite-some of its great features. Hence, the company reinvented the 356 to create something that would-suit racing better.

One of the major changes in the 1954 Porsche 550 Spyder from its predecessor was-its engine. The 1500S engine used for the 356 was great, but not really enough to compete with-racing powerhouses Ferrari and Jaguar, for instance. This is why the Type 547 was created. The-engine was more suitable for the LeMans race track, a 110 horsepower, 7800 rpm-engine. 

The later incarnations of the 1954 Porsche 550 Spyder actually had a less powerful-engine. In any case, the changes made to the 1954 Porsche 550 Spyder from its 356 predecessor were-enough to claim victory at the LE Mans and the Mille Miglia race tracks. The 1954 Porsche 550 Spyder-was so successful that Porsche further enhanced the design to create the Porsche 718, an even more-successful competition car that claimed victory in the Formula One race tracks. 

 

The 1954 Porsche 550 Spyder’s nickname, “Giant Killer,” had a-different meaning when famous movie star James Dean died in a car crash using the 1954 Porsche 550-Spyder. His 550 Spyder was customized (at that point, he was vocal of his dreams of becoming a race-car driver), and hence very iconic, although the car itself is no longer in existence (there is,-however, a replica). The car crash didn’t really tarnish the 1954 Porsche 550 Spyder’s-reputation; in fact, it only made it more iconic and legendary.