The Porsche 550 Spyder is about as classic and iconic as it gets, even for the storied Porsche brand. The lightweight roadster came from inspiration of the Porsche 356, but minus the hard roof. Porsche needed a race car to compete in the roadster class, and that’s just what the 550 Spyder did. In fact, the third 550 prototype and first 550 to race won its first event at the famed Nürburgring Eifel Race in 1953. Following that victory, the 550 went on to claim 95 victories and 75 class wins over a total of 370 races.
Winning wasn’t the only thing the 550 Spyder was known for. It was his newfound love of racing that spurred actor James Dean to purchase an example. Sadly, the actor and his still-new 550 were both fatally injured when a car pulled out in front of Dean as he drove down a California highway.
Nevertheless, the 550 Spyder enjoyed a storied career, with 90 examples being built. Of those 90 cars, 43 of them were built as non-race, “customer cars.” Both Dean’s and the blue example seen here are within that allotment. If fact, the chassis numbers are only separated by five digits, with Dean’s car wearing plate number 550-055 while the other wears plate number 550-060.
Speaking of that blue example, it has recently come up for sale through the Gooding & Company auction company. It carries a storied history and ownership by come famous people, including none other than avid Porsche collector, Jerry Seinfeld. So let’s take a look at this rare example down below.
Note: Images copyright and courtesy of Gooding & Company
Continue reading to learn more about the Porsche 550 Spyder.
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