A 1955 Porsche 550 Spyder was the definite star of the recently concluded Bonhams Amelia Island Auction after achieving a final sale price of $4,185,000. It was definitely the queen of the event after which had a total sale of $13.5 million and an impressive 95% sell-through rate. A lot...
Porsche Unseen by Jan Karl Baedeker & Stefan Bogner – © Delius Klasing Verlag Consider what it would be like to be given the opportunity to glimpse behind the scenes, into Porsche’s inner design sanctum, where the Porsche designers imagine the models of the future. There are 120 designers who...
Ian Fraser-Jones – ‘Out’ after a one mile push, the car having stopped due to a gearbox failure, the car’s only mechanical failure – Angola 1959 Porsche used its racing exploits around the globe not only to gain exposure and media coverage, but also to improve the performance and reliability...
The winning drivers from Porsche’s first Le Mans 24 Hour victory on 14 June 1970 (from L-R) Hans Herrmann and Richard Attwood (2019) Today, Porsche can boast a total of 19 overall victories together with countless class successes in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the world’s most respected and...
A busy GK Lindsay workshop in Johannesburg, South Africa, ca.1958 Porsche used its racing exploits around the world to not only gain exposure and media coverage, but also to improve the performance and reliability of its road and race cars. Here we look into the first part of a two-part...
In 1953 Porsche created a series of 550 prototypes and 550-03 became the most important car in Porsche history by winning the 1954 Carrera Panamerica with Hans Herrmann at the wheel. This singular victory lent the Carrera nameplate to future models and also marked the first international victory of a mid-engine car. Only 15 prototypes were made until regular production began in 1954 of the Porsche RS Spyder.
By 1953, Porsche had been successful racing its 356, but understood that a purpose-built race car would be needed to compete at motor sport’s highest levels. The resulting 550 Spyder, featuring lightweight aluminum bodywork and a powerful four-cam Carrera engine, was one of the most successful race cars of the...
Porsche Carrera 4-cam 4-cylinder racing engine – © Franzis Verlag GmbH Last year we reviewed the Porsche 911 flat-six boxer engine scale model by Franzis, but this year, we have the grandfather of all Porsche racing engines…the Porsche Carrera race engine model. The Type 547 4-cam, 4-cylinder engine was the...
Porsche 550 Prototype Spyder Specifications In late 1953, Porsche showcased a more definitive version of the 550 with a quad-cam engine and simple roadster body. Designed for a range of races from short course and hill climbs through to long distance endurance races, the engine and longer trailing arm suspension...
Le Mans 24 Hours, 31 May-1 June 1986: Start of the race – Porsches dominate the lead group In Part 1, Stories from Le Mans – with a Porsche flavour, our intrepid scribbler who hails from that beautiful part of South Africa, the Western Cape, shares with us some hilarious...
Porsche 550 RS Spyder Pictures...
Porsche 356 Cabriolet competing at an aerodrome race in the USA, ca. 1952/1953 America has for decades been Porsche’s biggest market, and this was important for the young and growing company. In some ways, the importance of this market even influenced the development of certain models. In this feature, Porsche...
Hans Herrmann at the Retro Classics in Stuttgart, Germany 2010 Hans Herrmann, one of the most successful and popular racing drivers to join the Porsche AG works team, celebrates his 90th birthday this year on February 23. The endurance and Monoposto specialist, born in Stuttgart in 1928, is regarded as...
Porsche 550 Prototype Spyder Pictures Porsche 550 Prototype Spyder Pictures ...
Mid-Atlantic American Sports Car Races 1953-1962: by Terry O’Neil © Dalton Watson Fine Books This is the beginning of a series of book reviews on early American racing, written by some very committed authors and published by Dalton Watson Fine Books. Mid-Atlantic American Sports Car Races 1953-1962 is the first...
The Porsche 550 was the brand’s first production racing car, designed to be both street legal and track-ready, allowing drivers to race and then drive it home. A unique engine, developed by Ernst Fuhrmann, powered the 550. This flat DOHC engine had four overhead camshafts, similar to the Porsche Type...
Le Mans 24 Hours, 23-24 June 1951: In the foreground of the workshop at Teloché is the #46 Porsche 356 SL driven by Edmond Mouche and Auguste Veuillet, while in the background is the #47 Porsche 356 SL which was damaged in practice by Rudolph Sauerwein Porsche has been represented...