Carrera book comments and questions

[Type550]

After going through the service list, it is very difficult to put a date on it. The only assumption I can make is that all the cars entered above the 550-007 listing came in to the factory before Annie's car. Based on the owners and lining up their races when they owned the cars, Josef Jeser's first race in 550-0016 was on 14th April 1955. Alexandre Gacon's last race in 550-0025 was 14th May 1955.

So these dates are around the same time of the 12 h Hyeres race.

The thing that confuses me is the number of Kms on each car. Jeser's car had 11,200km which is a massive amount, although it was used as a Works car before Jeser - that is a lot of Kms from when it was built on 20-1-55.

Annie's car had 19,638km on it - that also is a lot of racing!

The list includes 550-0045 which was built in June 55, but not owned by Gert Kaiser until 7 August 1955.

The other thing interesting on the list is Theo Helfrich with 550-0035. You have him listed in the book driving 550-0036 - which is correct??

[Steve Heinrichs]

Andrew,

We think 07 came in in April. Yep, fair amount of mileage but it had seven prior races and five test tours. Before Hyeres we believe.

Anyway---note that there are no references to 550-05.

I do not understand the Kaiser point as I see no date as to it being brought in.

The 0036 is correct and 0035 was noted as a typo (we whited out).

So, I think none of these are issues nor does the next Kretschmann question cause a problem as May 1955 is fine.

Steve Heinrichs

[Steve Heinrichs]

re Touraine rally---Thanks!! This adds the start nr., 179, for Veuillet 550-07.

Steve Heinrichs

[Steve Heinrichs]

re 27955

Hyeres DNF was brakes.

Now, I have 4-5 pages of the repair list; this is the first.

The points here are: The dates do work out to be April-May 1955 but, more significant, no where is 550-05 listed. The car Annie's mother brought in was 550-07/0043....it was not 550-05.

Steve Heinrichs

[Steve Heinrichs]

re 27949:

If all races after Agadir are 0043 in your view, Andrew, we agree as to 550-07/0043. My main point is that it is not 550-05 in Europe after Agadir at the very least.

If you say 550-05 was repaired in Europe after "the accident"---which accident are you refering to? What documentation is there for 550-05 having come back to Europe at all? Why not on repair list? Why not replace front in Brazil? (The guys there including the group that got 550-05, were very skilled.

We agree that 550-05 did not race in Europe with new front. We think it never raced in Europe at all.

Andrew, which car do you believe ran 25 April Montlh.,
8 May Sable and 23 May Dieppe??? This is important.

Steve Heinrichs

[vhelmle]

[Type550]

If the service list was dated before the Agadir race, I would concede that Annie owned and drove 550-07, but it is much later. 550-05 was either owned by the factory or Veuillet when returned to Europe and Annie only raced it - she didn't own it. All races from the 25th April 1954 to 25th February 1955 are 550-05.

After the Agadir race Annie took possession of 550-0043 (which was in construction before the Agadir race) which is why her mother brought it in to the factory. As Annie had crashed 550-05 at Agadir, I believe Veuillet raced 550-0043 as he did not have another car to race.

[vhelmle]

Hello Everyone,

Steve Heinrichs has asked me to post documentation about 550-05 in Brazil from early 1954 to June 1954. During the period from at least 17 February 1954 until at least 4 June 1954 550 Prototype 550-05 was embroiled in a financial discussion between Kern (Porsche representative) and Hans Stuck (Brazil owner). I will attach the series of letters as photos of the originals in date order
followed by the translations.

17 February 1954



4 March 1954



5 March 1954



2 April 1954

[vhelmle]

12 April 1954



16 April 1954




20 April 1954



31 May 1954

[vhelmle]

Final set:

4 June 1954

[vhelmle]

If the service list was dated before the Agadir race, I would concede that Annie owned and drove 550-07, but it is much later. 550-05 was either owned by the factory or Veuillet when returned to Europe and Annie only raced it - she didn't own it. All races from the 25th April 1954 to 25th February 1955 are 550-05.

After the Agadir race Annie took possession of 550-0043 (which was in construction before the Agadir race) which is why her mother brought it in to the factory. As Annie had crashed 550-05 at Agadir, I believe Veuillet raced 550-0043 as he did not have another car to race.

Hello Everyone,

Steve Heinrichs has asked to me respond to Andrew's comments on 550-05 and the possibility that it was returned to Europe at some point.



You may well be correct, but we need to understand your reasoning.

In the interest of collaboration,

Vietta

[Type550]

Thanks for posting the letters. I am currently working with someone close to Porsche who has knowledge of these events, so I will respond shortly with my insights

thanks Andrew

[Type550]

Is this all the correspondence? Is there another 4?

[Type550]

In regards to the service list, I would assume each entry would have been added when the individual car was serviced. With the entry of Gerd Kaiser (3rd from the bottom), the date would have to be after the 7th August 1955 (the car was built in June '55). With Gacon's entry before Annie's (raced between 17th March - 14th May 1955), the timing for Annie's car service would be somewhere between 17th March and at least the 7th August - unless you have a different logic...

[Steve Heinrichs]

Not sure what you mean, Andrew, re Nr. 4.

Anyway, as to the repair list, it is certain that the car is 07 or, to avoid this argument as we are trying to focus on 05, 07/0043 (known to Porsche as 07), but not 05. The early races at least while 05 was absolutely in Brazil, are 07.

Steve Heinrichs