Ferdinand Porsche had pioneered this design layout with the Auto Union Grand Prix car of the 1930s. On the other hand, the low mass moment of inertia about the vehicle's vertical axis can lead to a sudden, difficult to control rotation of the car. This gives it a more balanced weight distribution, and allows for largely neutral handling. The engine of the 550 is mounted in front of the rear axle making it mid-engined. In its first version it produced 110 PS (108 hp 81 kW) at 6200 rpm and a maximum torque of 121 N⋅m (89 lb⋅ft) at 5000 rpm. The engine is equipped with twin 2-barrel Solex PJJ downdraft carburetors and dual ignition. Its valvetrain uses double overhead camshafts on each cylinder bank, driven by vertical shafts, actuating 2 valves per cylinder. The Type 550/550 A is powered by an all aluminium 1,498 cc (1.5 L 91.4 cu in) naturally aspirated air-cooled 4 cylinder boxer engine known as the "Fuhrmann Engine" (Type 547).
3 Complete Formula One World Championship results.Each Spyder was designed and customized to be raced.Ī 1958 Porsche 550A Spyder sold at auction in 2018 by Bonhams for $5,170,000 (£4,115,763) - the highest price for a 550 at auction. The Porsche 550 has a solid racing history the first race it entered, the Nurburgring Eifel Race in May 1953, it won. The 550 Spyder would usually finish top 3 in its class. The mid-engine racing design was further developed with Porsche's 718 model its advantages led to it becoming the dominant design for top-level racing cars by the mid-1960s. The Porsche 550 is a mid-engine car with an air-cooled four-cylinder engine, following the precedent of the 1948 Porsche 356/1 prototype designed by Ferry Porsche. In that time only 90 Porsche 550s were produced, but it quickly established dominance in the 1.1- and 1.5- liter classes. The Porsche 550 was a racing sports car produced by Porsche from 1953 until 1956.