Spyder 550 550A

[356]

Who and when?

[Type550]

In the 55 LeMans, the other cars also used the light on top of the rear

[Type550]

The 502 Motorworks car is well built - they will get better the more they do!

They did use additional lights for the LeMans race and other races like Reims to lighten the race number but only the side facing the pits as it raced along the straight, or mushroom lights on the top. In the 1954 LeMans, they lit the number on top of the engine bay.

You can see here the lights on the top and the wiring from underneath before the Reims race

[Porschinelle]

Hi Andrew

I have a French friend who has just bought in the US an all aluminium 550 replica
Of course he don't say he has got the right car but he has decorated it exactly as Richard von Frankenberg 550-045 at the 1955 Le Mans race




On this last pic you clearly see the red light fixed on the left wing exactly as it was on the original car





I believe this light purpose was to identify the car during the night session

Do you know if this fitting was unique for 550-045 or some other 550 had it ?

On the left side 550-045 had a red circle with something in the middle
Is it another light or soething else ?

[Type550]

another parade photo

[Type550]

550-0031 going through scrutineering pre race

[Type550]

Amazing detail as usual Gerard! The photo was taken on race day driving from Porsche's hotel to the track with team technical chief Wilhelm Hild driving and one of the mechanics as passenger. The author says it is Polensky/von Frankenberg's spyder, so obviously they don't realise it is the spare car with the same #37.

As you can see the numbers are very different - the 3 has a rounded font on the race car but is more square on the spare car - plus the obvious lack of the white base circle

[Porschinelle]

This pic explain why 550-031 race number 38 was not part of the parade
This car went to the registration process alone apart the 5 other 550 spyders


Another color pic of 550_031 showing clearly the swiss flag in red on the right front wing

[Porschinelle]

[Porschinelle]

To come back to the leading car without race number it is that same car who wear the 37 number on these 2 pics (same zoll plate W21-851






The last pic was taken in front of the Reutter Karosserie plant
Obviously the car was decorated with these race number for a publicity purpose
Have you an idea where the second pic was taken ?

[Porschinelle]

car 37 numbers are well applied on a white circle
Indeed its depend, upon the light on the pic as on these ones taken after the arrival of the race with the winning Jaguar D type were the number 37 on the boot is not clear

[Porschinelle]

Another mystery

On the above pic taken on the Le Mans race track Friday June 11th and on this ones taken the same day inside the Le Mans city



it is clear that the leading car was the reserve car without race number and that the car race number 37 had his race number directly applied on the body on the contrary of the car who really raced who had its number applied on a white circle

[Porschinelle]

Strange again as on this pic (already publish above)

[Porschinelle]

Car race number 65 was entered by Gonzague Olivier in its own name
What is stange is that for that race the car was wearing a German custom plate

Car race number 66 was entered by the Ecurie Nationale Belge
No evidence that this car was yellow as all the ENB race cars
Also strange that Olivier Gendebien (Belgium pilot) was teaming with Wolfgang Seidel an habitual Porsche KG pilot and not another Belgium pilot as Pierre Strasse and Johnny Claes both Belgium pilots who have their names on the entry sheet

[Porschinelle]

550-015 race number 66 driven by Olivier Gendebien/Wolfgang Seidel who finish 5th overall




On the Le Mans 1955 r