Spyder 550 550A

[JG]

[JG]

Photo taken in Germany ...

[Type550]

looks like the same car as this shot previously - same old guy = owner driver...

[JTR70]

Awesome! Leave it to John to come up with that photo! I've always thought the speedster windshield on a Spyder wasn't done until the replica's came out. Always something new to learn. Thanks again guys!
Justin

[Type550]

550-0026 also is fitted with the speedster screen

[JTR70]

Thanks Andrew! Speedster inspired but not a true stock Speedster frame like the one in JG's photos. Of course this frame your showing looks very similar to the windshield frame on the original proto-type speedster.

[JG]

here are some more ...

[JG]

[JG]

[Bill Brown]

Bob Baker`s 0034 when I first saw it in the 1980s. It had just arrived from France.....Bob`s first Porsche! One pic shows the plug in the frame post hole. He had the small plexi windscreen installed for racing. The car had its og aluminum tonneau, quickjack, alum hubcaps, top assembly, etc....all og parts. The spare tire was mounted on one of the offset front wheels for the 60mm brakes, not the standard 16x3.5 alloy/steel wheel. I did some suspension and brake work on it, and was the first time I`d seen the alloy wheel cylinders and needle bearing linkpin assys. It had the "high-rail frame........any earlier 550s with the "high-rail frame? Did it correspond to the introduction of the big brakes?

[JTR70]

Thanks John, Great additional photos!

Bill, thanks for posting these shots. What an amazing first Porsche to buy! It sure came with a lot of spare parts! The windshield frame looks like its alloy; do you remember if the posts were as well? So this was factory installed?
Thanks again you guys!! Justin

[Type550]

It is very rare to see a high rail Spyder in the 1st batch of customer builds - it could have gone back to the factory to have it fitted. Interesting that Bob has kept the original steering wheel and also the passenger grab handle etc

[JTR70]

Thanks Andrew!

Same car I presume?

Not a Spyder but the same German racing philosophy. I was so impressed with the lightening efforts just to this hub-cap I had to share it! Can you imagine all the time that was spent to drill and space out all of those holes!

[356]

[Type550]

There is always a debate amongst both purists and enthusiasts regarding what qualifies as an original car. You can look at 550-0090 as say it is in original condition because it hasn't been raced or involved in any accident plus it has never been restored. Is this worth more than one of the early prototypes which has had a body off bare metal restoration with 80% of parts and panels refabricated. Or the other extreme where either just a frame or even a chassis plate and ownership papers exist and a whole new spyder is born...

After a workshop fire, 550-0086 turned into a molten lump with only the chassis as any kind of identification and was bought off the insurance company. Credit to the current owner who is painstakingly restoring it using 3D scans of spyders on either side on 0086 and making each panel and fitting to match the processes honed by Wendler, but will the finished car be 550-0086...?