Spyder 550 550A

[JTR70]

Okay, that's much nicer! This is a complete rebody though correct? I don't what it is, maybe its just the photo but the lines and shape do not seem to be accurate with all the vintage photos of 550's I'm seeing...

[Type550]

It is wrong in many ways...

[Type550]

Steve,

Do you know what date Hans Stuck sold 550-05 (I thought he owned 550-06)?

This is how I see the 550 racing history of Annie Bousquet...

If my trail is right, Annie drove 550-05 from Sept 1954 (entered in the Tour de France as #232 with Beaulieu) same car configuration with fixed rear.



She also raced it as #133, but there are no race records of the event



Then she raced it and crashed it on 27/2/55 at the Agadir GP #40 where it went back to the factory for repairs. That was the last time she drove it.



When she came out of hospital with her broken leg, she teamed up with Jesser in 550-0016 at the Bol d'Or on 15/5/1955. Due to another serious accident that day, she decided not to race and Jesser drove the whole race



Bousquet had ordered a Spyder from the Factory which was ready in May 1955 being 550-0043. The car went through many modifications in preparation for a world speed record in July 1955 at the banked track of Monthlery reaching 230km/h before she blew a tire and crashed into the guard rail resulting in another broken leg.



This time 550-0043 went back to the factory for repairs.

While it was in for repairs, Annie participated in the 1956 Mille Miglia in a Triumph and also in the 1000 km Paris in a Maserati 150S.

She had entered her Spyder in the June 12 h Reims with co driver Haskell, but her car was not ready at the Factory until the day before, so when she picked it up, she drove through the night to the track and lined up on the grid - the rest is history...

[Steve Heinrichs]

Andrew,

Yhe story is in the book as to Annie B. She had 07, had an accident, it went to factory for repair. They used the "new" 043 frame but put the 07 frame plate on top of the 043 (I have photos). Fatal accident in that car. Then, car goes to factory---documented as 07 and redone again and soldto Blendl. There was no 043 car per se---just the frame.

As to 05, it went to Brazil after Paris show. A story re this as well. 05 was not around to have been in the races you note. Again---if not---which car went to Brazil?? The sale of the car story and purchaser (finally) are in the book.

Recall that 07 was initially a Bucklewagen and was reconfigured before going to Vieullet.


Steve Heinrichs

[Steve Heinrichs]

The 0079 saga----

I think we are in agreement on most stuff--

0020 was a car. 0020 got rebodied. I do not know but do not dispute 0079 panels used.

0079 is in the three car color publicity photo. It is red as it was originally.

Now, we have two factory sources---list and other showing that it went to Switzerland. We believe it was raced by Schiller (with white hood---not sure--think factory did for him). Not so many races but races only in Europe.

It is, of course, possible that car came to U.S. after this. Trostman was a great motor mechanic (a pic of him is in the book). Not sure how he knows about "black" and "Hoffman"---but---2-6-56 is the date. We think maybe car came back to factory ---was painted black then and then shipped to Hoffman. Maybe U.S. buyer wanted that---Maybe Trostman just got the dates wrong.

Not sure when rebodied as an RSK. We show no such races but seems after our roughly 1966 cutoff.

We also show no other cars originally black.

Steve Heinrichs

ps--Our few races for Bird later are speculative and list in red as such inthat we are not sure of chassis number----but we do not list as 0079.

[alan hall]

This discussion of 550's rebodied as an RSK got me thinking of this car which was in Southern Calif in the 70's. I seem to recall it had started life as a 550 but I don't seem to have any notes as to chassis number.

Anyone recognize it? Picture taken in June '76.

[Type550]

Andrew,

Yhe story is in the book as to Annie B. She had 07, had an accident, it went to factory for repair. They used the "new" 043 frame but put the 07 frame plate on top of the 043 (I have photos). Fatal accident in that car. Then, car goes to factory---documented as 07 and redone again and soldto Blendl. There was no 043 car per se---just the frame.

As to 05, it went to Brazil after Paris show. A story re this as well. 05 was not around to have been in the races you note. Again---if not---which car went to Brazil?? The sale of the car story and purchaser (finally) are in the book.

Recall that 07 was initially a Bucklewagen and was reconfigured before going to Vieullet.


Steve Heinrichs

After the accident you say that '07 was rebodied onto 0043 frame' - it just doesn't gel. It is a totally different body - a Wendler body - every aspect of the shape is different from the angled headlights through to the engine bay and hinged rear. There is not one part of the earlier Buckelwagen on it. It would have to be a totally new car built by the factory on frame 0043.

[Type550]

Regarding 0079, the only images I have of a spyder in Swiss racing livery is 550-0028 which looks like it came in that livery from the factory





Black was not a standard colour and I have never seen another original in black. This is the article dated 1957 showing the spyder in black. There is a time gap, so it is difficult to determine how long he had owned it for

[Steve Heinrichs]

Hi.

Let me try to be clearer---

Annie had an accident in the 07 car and spent time in the hospital. The car went to the factory for repair. This car was "re-done" (note---for the second time---the first when reconfigured from being a Bucklewagen. I have the export list showing the 550-07 car going out at the time Annie pics it up from the factory (we have seen these pics of her in it). She then drives to LeMans with it and has the fatal accident.

The "re-do" involved a new frame (the first of the new frames)number 043. Porsche put the 07 frame plate on top of the 043 plate.

I apologize if I made this sound like it happened after the fatal accident and before the sale to Blendl. (sorry---too much going on).

I do have the photograph of the 07 plate and the 043 below it. From the factory's point of view---however the car was configured---it remained 07. There never was an 043.

Steve Heinrichs

[Type550]

The only reason they put the plate of 07 over 0043 was to get it across the border. Wendler did not make the body for 07, so why does it have Wendler badges on it?

[Steve Heinrichs]

0079 was Rita Rampinelli's (sorry for bad spelling---do not have stuff at moment). Same color config. Raced by Schiller. We have Swiss mag article as to that. Also, one of the two factory sources is the the test sheet which also shows where car went---in this case (0079) Switzerland.

Steve Heinrichs

[Steve Heinrichs]

07/043---yep---one of the photos. No need to put 07 over 043 except to call it the same car. No doubt that Wendler was involved in re-do. I am now lost. There is no Porsche record of 043 as a car. Porsche always called it 07. Is the debate now as to it being 043?

Steve Heinrichs

[Type550]

It is truly a can of worms Steve. From my perspective, 550-07 was not involved in any of Annie's cars, except as a plate to cover the 0043 plate on the frame. The photographic evidence of 550-05 at Adagir is like a DNA - no written records or stories passed on from that long ago can really prove anything as numbers were really not that important back then. I know you have spent considerable time aligning all these cars with locations, drivers, races and owners, but the rear of 550-05 was unique - no other 550 had it, and it would have been a step back for Porsche to graft one onto 550-07 when Annie drove it.

[Type550]

0079 was Rita Rampinelli's (sorry for bad spelling---do not have stuff at moment). Same color config. Raced by Schiller. We have Swiss mag article as to that. Also, one of the two factory sources is the the test sheet which also shows where car went---in this case (0079) Switzerland.

Steve Heinrichs

Can you post a photo from the article - it would be good to see the configuration of the car to see if it matches 0079

[Type550]

Do you see these as 550-05 or 550-07?