550 Spyder - The Giant Killer

Anyone who is familiar with Porsche and racing history, may know of the 550 Spyder. We are very honored to feature and celebrate a replica of this racing legend. With an original production run lasting from 1953 - 1956 Porsche produced this low weight, mid engine boxer sports car as their very first purpose built racing machine.

The 550 Spyder earned the nick-name “Giant Killer”, as this underdog punched way above its weight class appearing almost out of no-where to compete in motorsport. Coming in at roughly 1200 lbs, the 550 would compete against Mercedes 300 SLRs, Osca coupes, and Auto Union’s Type D. The first three models were hand made, and came with removable hardtops. The 550 entered its first race in May 1953 (almost 70 years ago this month), winning the same entry at the Nürburgring Eifel Race.

Porsche entered numerous races between 1953 and 1956 in the European and US circuits. The 550 joined roughly 370 races, claiming 95 overall wins and 75 class wins. The 550 Spyder was a pick against cars outside of its class, quickly garnering a fierce reputation.

The 550 presented many opportunities for Porsche, creating long lasting professional relationships with racers and manufactures, paving the way to incorporate leading edge technology and driver oriented design we see today.

A huge thank you to the owner for entrusting us with their replica 550, featuring a sequential gearbox and few touches to give the vehicle a new personality. The architecture of the 550 was revolutionary, and we are honored to work on and showcase such a lovely vehicle.