From July 22 to July 27, around 200 vehicles will gather for the Concours of Elegance at Gut Kaltenbrunn on Lake Tegernsee, a place known for its picturesque beauty, luxurious five-star hotels and first-class gastronomy. Situated in the middle of the Bavarian Alps, an RM Sothebys auction will also take place as part of the Concours. Reason enough to take a closer look at the vehicles that will be going under the hammer that weekend.

After first focusing on the Ferrari 275 GTB /6C, we would now like to present a special Porsche 550 Spyder.

Chassis: 0038, Engine: P 90031, Gearbox: 10029

The 550 Spyder, the first thoroughbred racing car developed by Porsche, took part in the most important motorsport events of the 1950s. On the starting lists of the Targa Florio, Mille Miglia, 24 Hours of Le Mans and Carrera Panamericana, the small mid-engined sports car achieved impressive results against more powerful rivals from Ferrari and Maserati. As with the very first 356, the Porsche engineers designed a mid-engined vehicle. The 1.5 liter light alloy engine was developed by Ernst Fuhrmann. Initially, 81 kW/110 hp and 121 Newton meters of torque were available. The clutch was located behind the engine and a fully synchronized four-speed gearbox behind the rear axle. A limited slip differential from ZF was used to prevent wheel spin in tight bends. A box frame welded together from tubes formed the flat base for the 550-kilogram sports car. The bodies of the first examples came from the Weinsberg body works. Porsche ordered both Spyders and a few Coupés from there. In 1955, the order for the bodywork of the car, which was now only available as a Spyder, was transferred to Wendler in Reutlingen. The only visual differences between these cars and the earlier models were different headlights and a modified rear end.

The racing driver Herbert Linge was Porsche’s first mechanic after the factory moved to Stuttgart. This gave him the opportunity to keep meticulous records of the construction and stock of the Porsche 550 Spyder. According to his notes, chassis 0038 was completed on April 29, 1955 with engine P 90031 (internal number 41) and transmission 10029. It is precisely this 550 Spyder that is now up for auction at Tegernsee. Originally, this Porsche rolled off the production line in a white exterior with burgundy accents. After completion in April 1955, the car ended up in Portugal with Fernando Mascarenhas, who entered the 550 Spyder in various circuit races in Europe. 4 months later, in August 1955, the car took part in the 500 kilometer race at the Nürburgring, where the race unfortunately ended prematurely due to an accident.

In 1958, the 550 Spyder was sold to Cypriano Flores and continued to take part in national races. After his death, his son Caeser Flores took over chassis 0038. In the 1980s, he looked for a suitable company in Portugal to restore the car, but was unable to find anyone who could professionally treat the dry sump, the 1,498 cc Carrera engine and the aluminum body. So he took the car back to Porsche in Zuffenhausen. There, the original coachbuilder Wendler took care of the exterior while Porsche took care of all the mechanical work.

During this process and in all the years that followed, care was taken to ensure that the Porsche retained its original engine, four-speed gearbox and seamless soft steel chassis. The bulkhead, dashboard and rear hatch also appear to have been retained, as has the underbody with the correct drainage holes and caps to channel water away from the compact, open two-seater cockpit. In the course of a restoration, the color was then changed to silver, the beige vinyl interior was replaced with black leather and other minor technical changes were made.

The vehicle has not been driven since this restoration. Likewise, the 110 hp Type 547/1 engine with twin overhead camshafts has not been started since July 2010, as the crankshaft is said to retain its original roller bearing specification. If you are the lucky buyer of this vehicle, it is recommended that you carry out a full service before using it.

With its original engine and gearbox, chassis 0038 is undoubtedly an outstanding candidate for any significant Porsche collection and for any Concours d’Elegance event worldwide. The expected price for the sports car from Zuffenhausen is probably between €3,500,000 – €4,200,000.

For more information, please visit the RM Sothebys website. Click here!

Photos: Stephan Bauer for RM Sothebys