--- title: Porsche 550 Spyder · HICONIUM description: "Porsche's first purpose-built racing car put its engine ahead of the rear axle and weighed about 550 kilograms. The 1.5-litre four-cam car won its class at Le Mans. Eighty-nine Type 550s preceded the 550A." canonical_url: https://hiconium.dev/vehicles/porsche/550-spyder image: https://hiconium.dev/og/vehicle/porsche/550-spyder.png --- > HICONIUM · Index: https://hiconium.dev/llms.txt · Every page: append `.md` or send `Accept: text/markdown`. > Path: [Home](https://hiconium.dev/) › [Vehicles](https://hiconium.dev/models) › [Porsche](https://hiconium.dev/manufacturers/porsche) › 550 Spyder > On this page: [The price and the proof](#the-price-and-the-proof) · [Model readouts](#model-readouts) · [Documented sales](#documented-sales) · [Porsche stopped modifying road cars and built a racer.](#overview-heading) · [Technical specifications](#technical-specifications) · [Powertrain](#powertrain) · [Chassis](#chassis) · [550 Spyder register](#550-spyder-register) · [The people behind the car](#the-people-behind-the-car) · [Ernst Fuhrmann](#ernst-fuhrmann) · [Wilhelm Hild](#wilhelm-hild) · [Member instruments](#member-instruments) ![A silver Porsche 550 Spyder, front three-quarter view on a golden field with a long light line](https://hiconium.dev/images/cars/porsche-550-spyder/hero-wide-2560.jpg) # 550 Spyder Small engine, long reach Porsche's first purpose-built racing car put its engine ahead of the rear axle and weighed about 550 kilograms. The 1.5-litre four-cam car won its class at Le Mans. Eighty-nine Type 550s preceded the 550A. 1953 to 1956 · 89 built · Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen ## The price and the proof Indicative road-car band $4M–$6M · typical $4.8M · 5 documented road sales · 5 recorded sales on file. Modeled values are not observed sales. Nothing here is investment advice. Confidence: medium. Public sales are rare but several well-documented results exist. Period race history, retained Type 547 engine, body identity and restoration quality dominate the spread. Estimate for authentic Type 550 cars with documented identity. 550A cars, replicas and materially re-bodied cars require separate treatment. Valuation method and source rules: [HICONIUM standards](https://hiconium.dev/standards). Observed auction results across the wider market: [Market terminal](https://hiconium.dev/market). ### Model readouts 5 documented anchors. model v1 · seed porsche-550-spyder. Compound annual growth is modeled price CAGR; S&P 500 is a price index without dividends. Forecast quantiles are not investment advice. | Window | This car* | S&P 500 | Gold | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1Y | +19.3% | +18.8% | +21.9% | | 5Y | +3.7% | +11.4% | +17.6% | | 10Y | -1.0% | +13.3% | +11.8% | | Series | Deepest drawdown | Window | | --- | --- | --- | | This car* | -51.9% | Apr 2016 → Sep 2022 · not recovered | | S&P 500 | -20.3% | Dec 2021 → Oct 2022 · recovered Dec 2023 | | Gold | -18.9% | Feb 2026 → Jul 2026 · not recovered | | Horizon | P10 | P50 | P90 | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | +6M | $4'404'354 | $4'864'056 | $5'371'739 | | +12M | $4'337'420 | $4'928'967 | $5'601'190 | | +24M | $4'237'799 | $5'061'398 | $6'045'061 | ### Documented sales 5 recorded. Every public sale on this file, newest first. Amounts keep the recorded currency. Source links appear only when the catalog stores a public auction-lot URL. | Date | Chassis / label | Class | House | Venue | Amount | Currency | Basis | Source | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2024-11-23 | RM Sotheby's · Munich, Germany · incl. buyer's premium | Road | RM Sotheby's | Munich, Germany | €3'464'375 | EUR | incl. buyer's premium | [https://rmsothebys.com/auctions/mu24/lots/r0046-1955-porsche-550-spyder-by-wendler/](https://rmsothebys.com/auctions/mu24/lots/r0046-1955-porsche-550-spyder-by-wendler/) | | 2022-09-03 | 2022 | Road | gooding | London Auction 2022 | £2'025'000 | GBP | incl. buyer's premium | [https://www.goodingco.com/lot/1956-porsche-550-spyder](https://www.goodingco.com/lot/1956-porsche-550-spyder) | | 2022-03-03 | bonhams · Fernandina Beach Golf Club · hammer | Road | bonhams | Fernandina Beach Golf Club | $3'800'000 | USD | hammer | [https://cars.bonhams.com/auction/27329/lot/250/1955-porsche-550-spyder-coachwork-by-wendler-chassis-no-550-0036-engine-no-90-034/](https://cars.bonhams.com/auction/27329/lot/250/1955-porsche-550-spyder-coachwork-by-wendler-chassis-no-550-0036-engine-no-90-034/) | | 2018-08-25 | 2018 | Road | Gooding Christie's | The Pebble Beach Auctions 2018, Pebble Beach, USA | $4'455'000 | USD | incl. buyer's premium | [https://glenmarch.com/auction-cars/show-backup-image/46620/results](https://glenmarch.com/auction-cars/show-backup-image/46620/results) | | 2016-03-11 | 2016 | Road | Gooding Christie's | The Amelia Island Auction 2016, Amelia Island, USA | $5'335'000 | USD | incl. buyer's premium | [https://glenmarch.com/auction-cars/show-backup-image/18039/results](https://glenmarch.com/auction-cars/show-backup-image/18039/results) | Published totals are used without currency conversion. Chassis-specific history must be checked before applying a model band. ## Porsche stopped modifying road cars and built a racer. The first works 550s appeared at Le Mans in 1953, initially with closed tops required by the rules. They won the 1.5-litre class. Open Spyder bodywork followed as the regulations changed. The original Type 550 used a ladder frame and total production reached 89. The 550A arrived in 1956 with a tubular spaceframe and higher-output engine; Porsche built 40 of that successor, so the two counts should not be combined when valuing a car. | Highlight | Detail | | --- | --- | | The engine moved forward | Placing the flat-four between driver and rear axle gave the 550 balance that a rear-engined 356 could not match. The layout became the line through Porsche's 718 sports racers and, decades later, the Boxster. | | Four cams, 1.5 litres | Ernst Fuhrmann's Type 547 used four overhead camshafts and twin ignition. Its 110 PS had only 550 kilograms to move. | | A class car in the overall order | Hans Herrmann finished third overall in the 1954 Carrera Panamericana. The result came against cars with far larger engines, which fixed the 550's competition reputation. | | Label | Value | | --- | --- | | Engine | Type 547 flat-four | | Power | 110 PS | | Built | 89 | | Body | Aluminium | | First season | 1953 | ## Technical specifications ### Powertrain | Label | Value | Note | | --- | --- | --- | | Engine | Type 547 air-cooled flat-four | 1.5 litres, four overhead camshafts | | Output | 110 PS | factory archive figure; competition tune varied | | Position | Longitudinal mid-engine | | | Transmission | 4-speed manual transaxle | | ### Chassis | Label | Value | Note | | --- | --- | --- | | Frame | Welded ladder frame | the later 550A used a tubular spaceframe | | Body | Hand-formed aluminium | | | Unladen weight | 550 kg | factory archive figure | | Brakes | Hydraulic drums | | ### 550 Spyder register 1 documented · public records only. Private, unpublished and member-only chassis files are omitted. | Year | Chassis | Colour | Provenance | Last public sale | File | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1955 | 550-0072 | | Published auction record from RM Sotheby's, 2024-11-23. | €3'464'375 · RM Sotheby's · 2024-11 | [Chassis file](https://hiconium.dev/vehicles/porsche/550-spyder?file=550-0072) | ## The people behind the car ### [Ernst Fuhrmann](https://hiconium.dev/people/ernst-fuhrmann) Engine designer · Porsche Designed the Type 547 four-cam flat-four that defined the 550 and later Carrera road cars. ### [Wilhelm Hild](https://hiconium.dev/people/wilhelm-hild) Body engineer · Porsche Developed the 550's compact aluminium body with Porsche's racing department. ## Member instruments A HICON Bid is a confidential expression of buying interest on this file. It is not a binding purchase, and HICONIUM holds no funds. [Sign in](https://hiconium.dev/sign-in) to place one. Garage files for an owned chassis are member records and are not listed here. [How membership works](https://hiconium.dev/membership).