One of the early prototypes, 550-06, built as a show car for Porsche, made its debut at the 1954 Brussels Auto Show.

The key design feature was the hinged rear which was an innovation to prove very successful on the track for quick engine repairs. Previous 550s had a fixed rear with a hood door to inspect and service the engine. 550-06’s rear fully tilted up to gain unrestricted access to the whole engine bay. At the Auto Show, the design was given rave reviews to set Porsche up to sell their new range of customer spyders through their European dealerships and to export to the US.

After a year of touring the auto shows including London and New York, 550-06 remained in the US and raced by Porsche dealer John von Neumann at famous tracks like Pebble Beach, Torrey Pines and Santa Barbara with great success.

Chassis #550-06 has a documented race and ownership history that has been researched and verified through primary sources. Accurate provenance information for this car is available upon enquiry through the contact page.