"The Porsche 550 Spyder was one of Porsche’s first dedicated racing cars (since the 356 was first and foremost a streetcar), the 550 Spyder removed all doubt about what the small new German sports car company was all about. The success of the 550 in competition included a win at the 1956 Targa Florio which proved that the new company, which was just five years old when the 550 first appeared, was serious about motorsport. If that wasn’t enough, it was catapulted to stardom when James Dean died at the wheel of his own 550 Spyder in September 1955. Consequently, the 550 is often replicated, and as is often the case, the quality varies widely from manufacturer to manufacturer.
This Chamonix 550 was built by Beck in Brazil. Chuck Beck is well-known for building high quality replicas. However, when the car arrived in the UK, the fastidious vendor was not happy with the quality and invested significant time and money in having several areas rebuilt, together with a series of upgrades. These included the fitting of a sports exhaust, special mirrors, aluminium pedals and switchgear and a Mota-Lita steering wheel. This super stylish exceptional recreation is finished in the colours of the James Dean car and with originals currently fetching well into several millions, this 550 represents superb value, especially given the estimate, condition and low mileage.
*Interested parties should note that the private registration plate shown is to be retained by the vendor and a new, age-related registration issued instead.
*Interested parties should note that the registration number of this vehicle is LF56 NFO
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