1955 PORSCHE 550 SPYDER - liquid cooled VW motor This is the Chamonix 550 Spyder, powered by a fuel injected, inline 4-cylinder liquid cooled motor. Classis styling and modern technology.
It was built on a tubular frame with an open body and powered by a tuned 1.1 engine. Glockler enjoyed some success racing this model before creating his second "special" in 1952 which had a 1500cc engine. It was this car which paved the way for the factory 550 spyder which followed shortly after. Chamonix has been producing the Beck 550 Spyder for over 20 years. They start with a 3 inch TUBULAR STEEL chassis (no bug floor pan!) and 3 ply hand laid fiberglass, which results in a car that is stiffer than the orginal, and significantly lighter. Weighing in at a mere 1300 lbs, it's surprisingly quick, yet reliable The following options are included: -FULL leather interior -3 ply hand laid fiberglass -3 inch tubular steel chassis -Convertible top -High quality Sikkens paint -Four wheel disc brakes - Contact BSC at 303-413-1100 (office) or 858-705-4400, info@BoulderSpeedster.com. See our website www.BoulderSpeedster.com for more information on the quality and construction process behind the Chamonix 550 Spyder.History
A class victory in the 1952 Mille Miglia with Lurani-Berckheim convinced Ferry Porsche to create a racing division where he could set up more and more competitive engines and cars. The first of them was the 550. A light body - called "spyder" by Porsche himself - was fitted on to the classic air-cooled Volkswagen-derived engine. Since then the term "spyder" has been given to racing cars, while current models were given the name "cabriolet". The 4-cylinder boxer engine of this beautiful German sports car had a long tuning period before being truly competitive. The timing system, in particular, (overhead twin shaft with four axles) was quite a problem. Its début in the 1953 Mille Miglia was extraordinary, as it won the 1,500 Sports Class. The following year, with Hermann, it won its class again and, moreover, it came 6th overall. In 1957, Umberto Maglioli, with the new 145bhp model came 5th overall and won its Class at the amazing average speed (for a 1500cc engine) of 142.12kph. It seems quite a peculiar thing that the English-born term "spider", which is never used for a car in Britain, is instead used in Italian and afterwards became spyder in German.
Porsche unveiled a mid-engine, two-seat production car prototype called the Type 550 at the Paris motor show in October 1953. But it wasn't until late in 1954 that the Porsche factory actually had a production 550 Spyder to sell. After some initial success Porsche engineers set about Improving the 550, and a logical place for improvement was in the engine compartment. The 1500S pushrod engine was replaced with the new 1.5 litre, twin overhead camshaft, roller bearing light alloy racing engine designed by Dr Ernst Fuhrmann. It was called the Type 547 it produced 110 horsepower at a screaming 7800 rpm. Even though the cars engines performance had been drastically improved it proved itself to be very reliable even in long-distance events. In 1956, Porsche decided to update the 550 chassis, essentially re-designing the car in the process. The new space frame chassis was both lighter and stiffer resulting in a car that weighed just 1170 pounds. It was named the 550A. The car went straight out and proved itself by winning a 1,000-kilometer endurance race at the Nurbring and followed soon after with a surprising first in the Targa Florio. The 550A ceased racing after the 1958 season but this was only the beginning for Porsche in motorsport.