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THE PORSCHE 550 SPYDER, A VERY BRIEF HISTORY:- The Porsche 550 Spyder was inspired by the original Porsche 356. From 1951, Porsche 356 prototypes were built and raced by Walter Glockler. His successes led to Porsche’s decision to build the first Porsche specifically developed for racing, the 550. The engine was based on the VW Beetle flat-4. It had shaft-driven, twin overhead camshafts, a roller-bearing crankshaft and dual ignition. Displacement was 1498 cc for the 1.5-liter class. Fed by a pair of Solex carbs, it produced 110 bhp at 6200 rpm. With an aluminum, monocoque body maximized for compactness, aerodynamics and lightness, the car weighed around 1300 lb. All the factory 550 Spyders were silver in color. The first three were hand-built prototypes. 550-03 raced as a roadster at the Nurburgring Eifel Race in May 1953, winning its first race. 550-05 was introduced to the general public at the 1953 Paris Motor Show. Over the following years, The Werks Porsche team evolved and raced the 550 with outstanding success and it was recognized wherever it appeared. With the 550, Porsche was the first manufacturer to organize, external, racing sponsorship. The Porsche 550 Spyder became an active participant on European and US championship circuits between 1953 and as late as 1965. Starting in over 370 races, with approximately 95 overall wins and an additional 75 class wins, the Spyder dominated and/or embarrassed more powerful cars from the prestigious racing stables. The cars were well represented at famous circuits around the world and soon became the racing car of choice for privateers, earning the reputation of ‘Giant Killer’. Only 90 cars were built with 78 being sold to the public for motor sport purposes. For such a limited number of builds, the 550 Spyder was always in a winning position, usually finishing in the top three in its class. The beauty of the 550 was that it could be driven to the track, raced and then driven home which showed its incredible flexibility. THE JAMES DEAN SAGA:- For the younger among us, James Dean was a movie idol of the fifties. He starred in the major, movie successes East of Eden, Rebel without a Cause and Giant with the film stars of the day including Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson, Sal Mineo, Natalie Wood, Julie Harris, Raymond Massey, Dennis Hopper and others. However, his passion was racing. After a succession of fast cars, motorbikes, street and track races, in 1955, he traded his Porsche Super Speedster for a brand new Porsche Spyder 550....

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Mercedes S63 AMG Coupe vs Porsche Panamera Turbo S in unusual lux showdown

Fri, 07 Nov 2014

We'll admit it, we're really looking forward to more time with the Mercedes-Benz S-Class Coupe. Compared to other high-dollar luxury coupes - we're looking at you Bentley Continental GT - it's more stylish, easily more affordable, and since it's a Mercedes, lacks the sense of fragility that comes with a more exotic name plate.
Auto Express has taken a whack at reviewing the new two-door S-Class, and for some reason, the British mag is comparing it with a Porsche Panamera. Now, while comparing the looks of an S-Class Coupe and a Panamera is a bit like holding a beauty contest between Kate Upton and Medusa, this isn't as bizarre a pair as you might think, particularly when you opt for the high-dollar S63 AMG Coupe and the Panamera Turbo S.
The two offer similar power outputs from their force-induced V8s - 577 horsepower in the Benz and 570 horsepower in the Porsche - and are even similar in terms of interior and exterior dimensions. The S-Class actually has an extra inch between the axles and is 1.2 inches longer overall (it's also about 300 pounds heavier). In the cabin, the S-Class also has a tiny bit more rear legroom, with 33.4 inches to the Panamera's 33.3.

McQueen's Porsche 917 from Le Mans races to the auction block

Mon, 23 Jun 2014

Steve McQueen may have been the headline actor of the motorsport cult classic film Le Mans, but we all know who the real star was. Or rather, what: the Porsche 917. More specifically, it was the Gulf-liveried #22 - not McQueen's #21 - that won the race, making it one of the most iconic cars ever to drive across the silver screen. And now it's going up for auction.
This 1969 Porsche 917K, chassis 917-024, has a storied history both on and off the screen, even if it didn't win any (off-screen) races of note. This example was the first 917 to be campaigned in an actual race when Porsche handed it to Jo Siffert to drive against the Ferrari 312P and Ford GT40 at the Spa-Francorchamps 1000 Km race in 1969. Siffert found the early example too unstable and ultimately drove an earlier 908 to the checkered flag, but after 917-024 set the fastest time at the following year's Le Mans test day, Siffert acquired it outright.
The Swiss racing driver loaned the car to Solar Productions for use in the film, after which it returned to Siffert's collection until he was killed in an F1 exposition race at Brands Hatch in 1971. In a testament to how much he loved the car, it was 917-024 that lead the funeral procession. The car subsequently fell off the radar until it resurfaced in 2001 as one of the greatest barn finds of the new millennium. Now fully restored and resplendent in its original baby blue and orange, 917-024 is headed to the auction block at Pebble Beach where you can be sure that Gooding & Company will bring in a suitably high price for arguably the most iconic example of one of the most iconic Porsches of all time.

The pre-race and first in-race report from Le Mans

Sat, 22 Jun 2013

The 2013, 90th anniversary edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans has begun, tragedy marking the opening laps with the death of Allan Simonsen. We're at the track now as a guest of Audi and plan to stay through the evening, and even we haven't been able to find out what caused the accident - the only video is from just after the incident, and beyond the statement from ACO there's been no more news. The Aston Martin in the LM GTE Am class and its all-Danish drivers had taken pole in its class and was one of the favorites to win.
The pre-race report will come first, and even thought we can't spoil the race because we're only five hours into it at the time of writing, we'll put all of the news at the end in case you don't even want the updates.
Or you can go straight to the high-res galleries above.

Replica/kit Makes 550 Spyder Black on 2040-cars

Porsche Panamera for Sale