Spyder 550 550A

[55Speedster]

More great spyder pics...

[Type550]

Does anyone know what date Annie attempted her world speed record?

[Steve Heinrichs]

I think 16 August 1955.

Steve Heinrichs

[Carrera GT]

Does anyone know what date Annie attempted her world speed record?

I think 16 August 1955.

Steve Heinrichs

And what was the outcome..?

Michael Doyle

[Steve Heinrichs]

She got the 50km record and a record for fastest lap. And, while going for the one hour record---wrecked the car and ended up in the hospital.

Steve Heinrichs

[Porschinelle]

550 she broke ?

[Steve Heinrichs]

550-07.

Steve Heinrichs

[Porschinelle]

[Carrera GT]

Gerard (your name-yes!)...

The Mythos...didn't Annie have a French or Swiss boyfriend that helped finance her racing adventurers? ...but he wanted her to give it up before she went on to her fatal crash at Reims?

Michael Doyle

[Steve Heinrichs]

Annie did have a boyfriend racer who was killed in an accident later that year.

Annie was financed mostly by Mom. Hey---it's Mothers' Day!

Steve Heinrichs

[Porschinelle]

[Carrera GT]

Thank you Gerard.

Your touch with Annie's background has unique and special insights to it. Like the personal HvH "sponsorship" ! She did put Porsche in the forefront for marketing purposes though (the posters are a testamony to that) and HvH was a business master, by not only being the Racing Director...but the Porsche Press Director as well.

This site also gives good information about Annie B:

http://www.historicracing.com/driver_female.cfm?driverID=2964

Michael Doyle

[Type550]

550-07 was the first attempt Wendler had in building a 550 and has the complete rear clam shell that opens up to show the engine:



and another race



and the February 1955 Adagir GP where she crashed the car, did significant damage and also broke her leg among other injuries spending a long time in hospital.

[Type550]

According to Jeser, she loved the 550 and arranged with von Hanstein to get a spyder to race of her own.

I know Steve says that 550-0043 doesn't exist as a car, only as a frame, but I still can't find any evidence that Annie actually drove 550-07.

Let's say 550-0043 existed as a 'real car' which Annie bought from the factory (I doubt the car was new when she bought it).

Porsche had finished the production of RS spyders in june 1956. Many of the early spyders (from 550-0016 to the last of that production run - 550-0045) had the rubber strip on the nose and then later went back to the factory to get air intakes cut into the nose to help cool the front brakes. On some, the strip was removed altogether and others shortened between the intakes. The Factory spyders built for the 1955 LeMans at end of May 1955 incorporated the updated nose with intakes (no strip), which continued for the rest of the RS series.

The Spyder that Annie attempts the world speed record in August 1955 is a Wendler built 550 Spyder, which would have had to be built before May 1955. As you can see, it has the full rubber strip and no air intakes in the normal position on the nose - the indicator lights have been removed for aerodynamics. You can also see that it has the Wendler badge on the side which was on all the customer Spyders. I cannot see how this car can be 550-07 with a totally different body grafted on the frame of 550-0043.



The rear is also a stock Wendler body with the addition of a cowl.



Annie attempted the speed record crashed the car into the side rail when she blew a tyre and in the process (once again) breaking her leg, She went to hospital and the 550 returned to the factory for repairs.

Before the 1956 Heures de Reims race, Annie returned to the Porsche factory to get some modifications made to her Spyder (by the looks of it pre race, she had a new nose put on with the air intakes and shortened rubber strip, among other things like the covers on the rear wheels.





As we know, Blendl bought the wreck of the spyder and as the plate was on top of 0043, the car was considered to be 550-07.

[Steve Heinrichs]

Sorry. More later but why would Annie's mother bring 550-07 in for service?

550-05 was in South America.

Wendler started with 550-0016 not 550-08.

Steve