Porsche 550 Spyder
Designed with racing in mind, the Porsche 550 Spyder was introduced at the 1953 Paris Auto Show. It found its roots in the Porsche 356, which was crafted by Ferry Porsche, and further developed by Walter Glöckler and his series of Spyder prototypes from 1951. To prepare the 550 for racing, it was kept lower to the ground and was greatly admired for its performance on the track. This was particularly evident when former German Formula One racer Hans Herrmann managed to stayed underneath an approaching railway crossing gate during the 1954 Mille Miglia.
The Porsche 550 Spyder became known as the "Giant Killer" due to its remarkable success and 1956 brought even greater success when the 550A, which had a lighter and more rigid spaceframe chassis, snagged Porsche with its first overall win in a big way at the Targa Florio. The 718 was the successor and proved to be even more successful, earning points in Formula One well into 1963. Today, the Porsche Boxster S 550 Spyder is a descendant of the famous 550.
Though it had a very successful racing career, the Porsche 550 is best known for a tragic event: the death of James Dean in 1955. The car he was driving, known as 550-0055 or "Little Bastard", has become part of pop culture to this day and James Dean is widely remembered as a Hollywood icon.
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