The Porsche 550 Spyder

I’ve already talked a bit about Porsche and their work in the racing world.  Well, a bit part of their racing success is because of the Porsche 500 class.  The first of these cars were unveiled in 1953, and they were Porsche’s first cars really built for competition.  They featured light aluminum bodies that allowed the cars to reach high speeds.  The first two 550’s, likewise, were very lightweight and were actually unique—there are no other Porsche’s like them.  These two cars dominated the Le Mans event and won first and second.

The later 550 Spyders, as the car was later named, used a four-cam Carrera four cylinder engine.  They, like the prototypes, quickly became the dominant cars in their class and won a number of races.  The Spyders were also sold to customers, and they were very popular.  In 1956, Porsche modified the Spyder a bit.  This new model, the 550A, debuted at the Targo Florio, a road race that was widely regarded as one of the most difficult.  Porsche shocked the world when the Spyder 550A easily won the event over a number of other cars, including several Jaguars and Ferraris.

The Spyder has continued to be one of Porsche’s best selling and most popular models.  The cars have won a number of races over the years as well.  The car is really sexy looking, too.  I’d love to be behind the wheel of one of these fast beauties—wouldn’t you?

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Tagged as: Carrera, Le Mans, porsche, Porsche 500 class