Porsche 550 RS Spyders at LeMans 1955

The 550 RS Spyder, introduced at the Paris Auto Show in late 1953, was their first model designed specifically for racing. The lightweight aluminum body and powerful 1500cc, four cam power plant earned them a reputation as 'giant killers' on the track.

It debuted at LeMans in 1953 and was back in force in 1955. The 1955 LeMans saw the Spyder awarded with The Index of Performance for the car with best combined speed and economy in the entire race field. With a mix of both Werks and privateer spyders, Porsche proved to be a threat to the Italian marques with a result of 4th, 5th and 6th positions overall and first in class against a field of more powerful cars.

The 1955 race was also marred with tragedy in which Pierre Levegh's Mercedes crashed into a crowd of spectators, killing more than 80 people. We see the smoking wreckage in the background as shot from the Porsche pits.

The incident led to the widespread introduction of safety measures to protect both drivers and spectators, not only at the circuit but tracks worldwide.

The Porsche Spyder also became famous as the car actor James Dean was driving when he collided with a station wagon and died. He was gaining a reputation as an amateur racer as well as an actor. He'd had Hollywood car customizer Dean Jeffires paint, "Little Bastard' on his car.

Special thanks to: http://type550.com/racing/racing-past...

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