Porsche 550 Spyder: One of the first Porsche purpose-built race cars

The Porsche 550 Spyder was Porsche’s first foray into building a purpose-built race car from the ground up. The German automaker made 90 of them, and this one remains fairly original.

How original? Matching-numbers engine, four-speed gearbox and chassis. The underfloor even has the correct drainage holes and caps to allow water to escape the cockpit.

However, there have been some changes over the years. When coachbuilder Wendler restored the car in the early 1990s, they used modern pop-up rivets at the front and on the floor. The color was also changed to silver, the interior switched to black leather and other “technical alterations” were made. The car has not been driven since this restoration.

Find this 1955 Porsche 550 Spyder by Wendler for auction at RM Sotheby’s, with an estimated value of $3,800,000-$4,550,000.

The Porsche Museum has the 550 Spyder that took 3d in the '54 Carrera Panamericana.  It's smaller than it looks in pictures...not much taller than my knees.  Gorgeous little car.

In reply to Warlock :

It's wild how small some of these cars are in real life–especially considering how fast they were regularly driven.