As one of four Werks cars, Porsche made extra effort building 550-12 for their first Le Mans race in 1954. The Weinsberg chassis received additional supports, while components were drilled and lightened throughout. A rattan passenger seat, small driver’s windshield, and aluminium tonneau improved aerodynamics. The car carried a 95-litre fuel tank and weighed approximately 545 kg dry. Its third series engine (547-09) developed around 115 hp, fitted with Weber carburetors for improved midrange power.

At Le Mans, 550-12 suffered the same fate as 550-10 — holing a piston in the 19th hour. Running on three cylinders, car #39 (Claes/Stasse) limped to the finish, securing first in class ahead of a rival Osca. The car then won overall at the September 1954 Avus race in Berlin with Richard von Frankenberg driving. Competition director Von Hanstein soon sold several 550 chassis, with 550-12 purchased by Jaroslav Juhan, who finished 2nd in class and 4th overall at the 1954 Carrera Panamericana, then won his category outright at the 1000 km Buenos Aires race. Juhan subsequently sold the car to the Von Dory brothers, Argentine Porsche dealers, who raced it in South America from 1957 to 1959 before it passed through several more Argentine owners.

Chassis #550-12 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.