1963 Porsche 550A Spyder Evocation (Aluminium)

Porsche's first real attempt at building a race car was the 550 Spyder powered by their Carrera 1500cc quad-cam flat four engine. Although output was a modest 115bhp, the car was light and handled superbly and it soon gained a reputation as a 'Giant Killer'. During September 1955 one of the first ninety 550 Spyders (Vin 550 - 0055) would be immortalised in history when James Dean, actor and budding racing driver collided fatally with Donald Turnupseed on his way to the Salinas Road Race. The trans-axle was removed from the wreck at the time and is still owned privately in the USA, and the bodywork of ''Little Bastard'' toured the States as a macabre reminder to speeding motorists. Sadly between appearances, it went missing and has not been heard of since, however, I imagine it may well reappear one day.

In 1956, the 550A Spyder made its appearance and, although externally similar, it was an altogether different car with a complex space-frame replacing the earlier 'ladder' chassis. Although only 37 were built in 56/7 the 550A's abilities were remarkable and it proved very competitive in motorsport, bringing Porsche their first ever overall 'Sports Car' win in the 1956 Targo Florio. Offered here is a stunning recreation of the 1956 Porsche 550A Spyder envisioned and brought to life by Kent based specialist race car constructor Lewis Barrow. Barrow Automotive Creations are renowned fabrication experts in aluminium and crafted an exact copy of the body and a space frame chassis. Paying testament to his work is the skill used to form the evocative curves of arguably one of the most iconic sports car of the fifties. The engine was built by air-cooled specialist Jake Raby who enlarged the 2.0litre Porsche IV 914 unit to 2400cc and with twin plug heads, 'Jenvey' throttle bodies and electronic ignition, it produces 257 bhp. With a weight of just 570kgs the performance is vivid with true handling to match. Road manners and ride quality have been improved by swapping the original swing axle arrangement to a four-link de Dion and Panhard rod setup and fitting rack and pinion steering. With modern engineering thinking and design solutions, it would not be unfair to suggest that this 550A will outperform the original at every level. The transmission is a Porsche type 901, 5-speed gearbox with a Quaife torque biased differential and the clutch and flywheel are from a period sixty's 911S racer. The engine is dry sumped and includes some additional Jake Raby cooling modifications.Many of the fittings are either Porsche 356 or 550, adding to the period feel of this stunning and beautifully engineered homage to the iconic Porsche 550 Spyder. Most of this car's life has been spent in Slovenia, taken there some eight years ago by its English owner, a retired sports journalist. Now in his 80s, he brought the car back to the UK recently, where it has remained registered as AOW 265A. Its chassis identity 213089 is recorded on the V5C as 1963 Porsche Sports Cabriolet, its Porsche 356 donor. The Spyder has recently undergone a full professional repaint in 2015, has been serviced and comes with a current MoT. With authentic 50's racers now reaching extremely high values, evocations are the most cost effective way to experience the pride of ownership and driving pleasure of these head-turning period cars. This professionally engineered, tool-room 550A recreation offers the very best of both worlds.