Type 550

Live Fast, Die Young!

The infamous words of James Dean describes the legendry life of the Porsche 550 Spyder – the ‘giant killer’.

My passion lies with the Porsche RS550 with only 90 documented type 550 spyders built between 27 October 1952 – build No 550-01 and 29 June 1956 – build No 550-0090. Following the RS550 was the production of the 550A which was an evolution of the RS with a birdcage like space frame chassis and modified lighter body shape. By the time the 550A ceased championship racing after the 1958 season, it had not just established itself as a legend, but it had also begun to mould the future of the Porsche marque.

With years of research and the acquisition of my own replica RS550, which is a McRae built spyder imported from New Zealand to Australia and fully restored to original period detail, I thought it would be a great idea to share my knowledge and experiences with other spyder fanatics. I see this site as a portal to collect both current and historical information about spyders.

Every day I find something new about spyders through a network of talented individuals. There is still an untapped source out there like yourself who might be able to help me find all the pieces to this puzzle such as identifying all 90 original spyders or expanding on its racing accolades. This site will be continuously updated, so please come back to find something new.