550-0031 was completed on 12 March 1955 in silver with red darts. Swiss driver Walter Ringgenberg, a friend of Ferry Porsche and the racing team, purchased the car and agreed to debut it at speed trials at Montlhéry, France, alongside factory driver Richard von Frankenberg. On 18 March, the pair set six speed records.

Ringgenberg campaigned the spyder across several European events, including Hockenheim (1st, driven by von Frankenberg), the 24 Hours of Le Mans (DNF), the 500 km Nürburgring (DNF), and the Avus GP in Berlin.

The car is best known for the aerodynamic wing fitted by engineer-racer Michael May. Entered in the 1000 km Nürburgring in May 1956, the spyder was disqualified after officials ruled the wing obscured sightlines for following drivers (full story here). May tried the wing again at Monza in June 1956, where improved downforce yielded only a 5th in class. It was removed for the Solitude race in July and never used again.

Chassis #550-0031 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.