Most of the men weren’t too enthusiastic about racing against women and although they all had their reasons, the majority were more afraid of being beaten by them. The Porsche 550 Spyder was a small, light and very agile race car and the female drivers found it the perfect car to burn up the tarmac in. There were quite a number of notable female drivers who scored a winning reputation on the track in a Spyder, including Ruth Levy, Loretta Richert, Betty Shutes, Jean Speidel, Louise Cano, Suzy Dietrich, Annie Bousquet and Gilberte Thirion.

These ‘Spydergirls’ were always very competitive and skilled on the track and once they caught the racing bug of the Porsche 550 Spyder, it rarely let them down.

After a couple of years racing her Porsche 356 super, Ruth Levy moved to race for John Edgar’s Porsche racing team along side fellow driver Jack McAfee. They shared Edgar’s silver 550RS at a number of meets on the West coast throughout 1957, where she usually finished in first or second position.

For the America 500 mile race, Ruth teamed up with Denise McCluggage. Denise was always recognized trackside by her red polka dotted white race helmet. Starting her race career in a Jaguar XK140 in 1956, she soon moved into a 550A which she purchased in 1957. Besides racing her Spyder in the Venezuela GP and at Nassau, she also travelled across to Europe to race at the Rheinland Nürburgring in an Alfa Romeo Giulietta Veloce. Appearing at many local tracks like Lime Rock and Cumberland, Denise certainly made a name for herself. She ended her racing career in the late 1960s and eventually became the founding editor of the U.S. automotive magazine AutoWeek.

Annie Bousquet started racing in 1952 around the European circuits. She shared the driving with a number of experienced racers such as Josef Jeser and Gilberte Thirion. Annie bought a French blue spyder 550-0043 which she got direct from the Porsche factory. This Spyder was a newly built spyder using a spare frame and the body off a Buckelwagen prototype, 550-07. Before the 12 hour Reims race in 1956, Annie had to collect her modified spyder from Zuffenhausen and drive back to Reims just in time for the practice sessions. As she was very sleep deprived during the race, she crashed and rolled her car on a corner, killing her instantly.

Loretta Richert lived in Hawaii and raced her red Spyder against the best drivers on the island. She was the only female member of the Sports Car Club of Hawaii and from 1957 to 1959 she achieved many wins on the track., with her three children among her fans.

Suzy Dietrich loved to race and from 1953 to 1967, she had a stellar racing career in a variety of marques. Starting in her husband’s MG TC, she was allured by the Porsche 550 which she raced mainly in Ladies events with great success, including 2nd places at Dunkirk and Watkins Glen.

After Annie Bousquet’s accident, the Automobile Club de l’Ouest, organizers of the Le Mans 24 Hour race, banned female drivers from competing, a decision only revoked in 1971 when Marie-Claude Beaumont drove a Corvette there.

I have previously done a blog about the lightweight drilling of the wheels and chassis of 550-0073 done by Paul Sagan. Recently I had an email from the daughter of Paul with additional information about the car. Paul Sagan was a Porsche/VW dealer in Uniondale New York and like many, he was also a weekend

These days everything happens so fast due to the latest technology, which is the same for cars that are over 60 years old. Although I try and update this blog as much as possible, I find it easier just to post photos and stories on my Type 550 Facebook page which is always in a

One of my favourite Porsche researchers and author, Tony Adriaensens has just sent his latest book to the printers, which is a magical window focusing on early Porsche competition history. Titled ‘SportErfolge’, this magnificent 640 page photo-essay covers a part of the rich racing and rallying history of the Porsches from as early as 1951

In honour of the famous Italian race – the Mille Miglia, last week saw the spectacular collection of classic cars line up in Tokyo, Japan for the 2012 La Festa Autunno. The 93 entries rallied along the highways and through the mountains for the four day round trip finishing along the coast back to Tokyo.

Back on the first January 2012, there was a forum post by the owner of a very special 1956 Porsche 356 Carrera coupe. The car was originally built by Dean Jeffries who was widely known in Los Angeles as a painter, so he built this car to showcase his talents as a customizer and it

Porsche 550 Spyders are well known for their successes on the track, usually on European endurance circuits like LeMans or the airfield tracks of the US. Once the 550As and the RSKs were competing in these races, the nimble RS550 weren’t as fast against them and many were sold off for the latest offerings from

It all started with an email asking for assistance from the current owner of 550-0088. He is not a collector of exotic cars or holds a ‘VP’ position in a Fortune 500 company – he bought the car back in the early 70s against his Father’s advice, and has treasured it ever since. The Spyder,

After carefully air freighting the one off prototype of the Vintech P550 across the Atlantic to its debut at the Quail Motorsport Gathering, the car received as much attention as many of the beautifully restored automobiles that graced the Pebble Beach event the same weekend. The PR media machine was in full swing in the

French car designer Vintech has gone and put a modern twist on a classic Porsche design. The project which will be officially unveiled this coming weekend on August 17th at “The Quail: A Motorists Gathering” is a tribute to the first original 550 prototype, 550-01. This concourse is one of the many prestigious events which