porsche

In 1953, Porsche needed a race car more powerful than the

356. So they created the 550. This was the first true competition

car from Porsche. It was lightweight, it had two seats, aluminum

body, tubular frame and an open top. They were racing only with

Volkswagen. The initial pair of 550 dominated their class at Le

Mans finishing one-two in the 1500cc division. Then, one of the two

cars won its category in the famed Pan Americana Mexican road race.

Subsequent 550`s carried on what the initial 550`s had started.

They were fitted with the four-cam Carrera flat four cylinders. They

soon became dominant cars world wide. During races, it was fast

and easily maneuvered so no other car stand a chance. But people

loved it purchasing every one of these quick little cars they could find.

In 1956, Porsche started to produce the 550A, a slightly modified

Spyder. It was a hit, shocking the entire world by winning in its first

Appearance in Targa Florio, a brutal road race. It also humbled well-known

and more powerful rivals such as Ferrari, Maseratti and Jaguar.

In the next five years it won almost all the races in which it competed.

It became a car that attracted more attention for its occasional

losses than for the nearly non-stop victories.