Carrera book comments and questions

[Type550]

Alan,

Although this is very confusing, I have been working on this for over 3 years eliminating all things that are not possible. 550-06 is one of those things. 550-06 is clearly documented as a show car during 1954. The buckel was removed and a standard hinge back was fitted. 550-06 was always a hinge back.

[alan hall]

Michael, These notes appear to not really be "build sheet" type of record as they appear to have been done well after the cars were finished as the discuss changes and/or races run well after the cars were initially finished. I suspect they are recollections of someone and may or may not be based on some written factory documentation. Also whoever wrote these originally definitely thought they were different cars -05 and -06. The cross out of -06 and change to -05 on page 2 appears to be have been done by Steve as the handwriting is the same as the note "16 September 1954 Interlagos. Bino Heins drove a 356 not 550" which Vietta indicates in the English vwersion is "Steve's handwritten note". Also it indicates -06 had a 1500 Super motor (pushrod) while -05 had a type 547 (4-cam) motor.

Andrew, The other item of interest on these sheets Vietta posted is the reference on the third line of the -05 sheet which refers to, perhaps, -05 being rebuilt as a 550-1500RS and being completed on August 29, 1954. Again it sounds like -05 was the car in Europe and never went to South America at all. From these notes it definitely sounds like whoever prepared these sheets thought -06 was the South American car....is there any chance your understanding of -06 could be wrong or do you have any theories of what car ended up in South America?

[Type550]

550-05 did get a push rod engine to replace the quad cam when it went to Brazil.

[alan hall]

Andrew, So you feel that -05 had it's engine switched and it's brakes and wheels changed and was then shipped to Brazil. Is that correct? How do you feel about the possibility of -05 being returned to Europe and a different car going to Brazil as the car that was involved with the South American sale?

[Type550]

In the hand written document I cannot see a '29th August 1954' date, and it makes no sense.

I believe 550-05 returned to Brazil. The car in the later races is still a fixed rear car and based on the body shape is still 550-05. For the 1000km Buenos Aires race, the car had a new front end probably due to a previous accident.

[Type550]

550-05 was prepared with stock wheels before it was shipped to Brazil

[Blechquäler]

I agree, to read 29. August from the sheet is wrong.
There is written:
"Ende 1954 war End-Konstruktion 550-1500 RS fertig"
("End of 1954 the end-construction 550-1500 RS was finished")





That's what I can read from the sheet.





And this is what I read from page 2.

Btw, it says "tuned 1500 Super engine"
and a "Lotterieeinnehmer" is a licensed lottery-ticket seller.

Oh-of course, 8000RPM, not 800, my mistake.

[Carrera GT]

Michael, These notes appear to not really be "build sheet" type of record as they appear to have been done well after the cars were finished as the discuss changes and/or races run well after the cars were initially finished. I suspect they are recollections of someone and may or may not be based on some written factory documentation. Also whoever wrote these originally definitely thought they were different cars -05 and -06. The cross out of -06 and change to -05 on page 2 appears to be have been done by Steve as the handwriting is the same as the note "16 September 1954 Interlagos. Bino Heins drove a 356 not 550" which Vietta indicates in the English vwersion is "Steve's handwritten note". Also it indicates -06 had a 1500 Super motor (pushrod) while -05 had a type 547 (4-cam) motor.

Alan - opinions are Ok to be different. I'll stay with mine that this is the way in which the factory did their "Konstruktion" build sheets - as hand written notes like this were part of their internal records of this Prototype Spyder...and others as well.

And in reviewing other "build sheets" and notes, they did cross "some" things out at times to make a correction - simply due to it being the original document in handwriting (not comparing to Steve's corrections - btw very admirable for He and Veitta to post this info for us to see and review).

I also find it interesting that Steve and Andrew come together on the 05 history of it being in Brazil, with Stuck, and the modifications done to the car at that time.

Michael Doyle

[Blechquäler]

Michael,
sorry but I cannot agree with you.
The notes can't be "build sheets" due to the fact that they're written as a review.
My english is not the best but as I come from Germany I think I know how to read and understand a german text...
Also those notes are probably not correct in all details, I'm wondering for example that the oiltank should have been on the left side.

Gerd Breuer

[Carrera GT]

Michael,
sorry but I cannot agree with you.
The notes can't be "build sheets" due to the fact that they're written as a review.
My english is not the best but as I come from Germany I think I know how to read and understand a german text...
Also those notes are probably not correct in all details, I'm wondering for example that the oiltank should have been on the left side.

Gerd Breuer

Hello Gerd,

Are you suggesting these notations are not from Porsche? ...this was a factory prototype car. This and other prototypes went through other build configuration changes - the notoations may perhaps be clarified as a Build Sheet summary (as then completed).

Michael Doyle

[Blechquäler]

Michael,
Probably from Porsche but for sure younger and eventually part of an internal collection of facts for a museum book or so.

I'm not sure where I did read it but didn't Vietta tell us that there were notations which are made by a Porsche museum Lady, written down in the 80's?

Vietta:
Can you tell us more?
Are the two sheets part of those notations?

[Steve Heinrichs]

Guys,

I wanted to send this to try to describe where I believe we are and what Vietta (my researcher) and I are trying to focus on.

1) We are settled that 550-05 was in Brazil until, at least, sometime in June 1954, confirming that the March/April attributions are not 550-05

2) We are focused now on resolving the rest of the races we have attributed to 550-07, including September and other races where Andrew and others believe the car is 550-05.

More in next post.

Steve Heinrichs

[Steve Heinrichs]

Regarding the handwritten notes we have sent both with notes and translation for 550-05.

The various sheets of paper are indeed what the lady in the Porsche Archive in the late '70s and 80's (I was told).

They are confusing and not always correct. For some reason they were made by her perhaps as a start of some effort to describe the cars as while as identify some races. I have them on several of the early cars.

We will post information here to the extent useful as to resolving questions noted in my earlier post.

Steve Heinrchs

[Steve Heinrichs]

Re 06 as a part of this morass---I agree fully with Andrew (see!!) that no possibility.

I bet Andrew agrees also 08 not possible.

See the book.

Steve Heinrichs

...also, yes ,05 was in Brazil later so it either "came back" from Europe or never left. Anyway, it got a new nose and raced a number oftimeswith Heins who later sold it.

[Type550]

Yes Steve, every now and then we do agree on things! I also think we both agree that 550-05 was the car used in the later races in Brazil.

It is still the earlier European races that are not 'settled'. You have not offered any explanation of the photo of the fixed rear 550 at Montlhery pre April 1954. If it is not 550-05, which car is it?