Today’s car is a 1956 Porsche 550/1500 RS Spyder owned by Steve Klein, which I photographed at Bata and Rose Mataja’s home during the unveiling of their custom-built V12 Buick Rouguemaster.
Often nicknamed the “Giant Killer,” the Porsche 550 was Porsche’s first purpose-built race car, designed from the outset to outmaneuver and outlast far more powerful competitors on tight, technical circuits.
It is finished in raw aluminum, accented by red and green painted stripes on the rear fenders for quick race identification, a practical touch since most 550s were painted the same Porsche silver-gray. The interior features red and green plaid inserts over the black race seats, a detail that feels both playful and perfectly period correct. Power comes from a replacement Porsche 912 engine, making the car street drivable. The 1.6-liter four-cylinder boxer, an air-cooled OHV pushrod design, produces approximately 90 horsepower and is fitted with twin Weber 40IDF carburetors. Power is sent through a four-speed manual transmission with a limited-slip differential, using gear ratios typically ranging from 3.67:1 to 4.43:1, allowing the car to be precisely tailored to different driving conditions and race circuits. Braking is handled by 11-inch finned aluminum drum brakes with cast-iron liners at all four corners, lightweight and effective given the car’s minimal mass. The front suspension is fully independent, using double trailing arms, transverse torsion bars, hydraulic shock absorbers, and a front sway bar. At the rear, independent swing axles with torsion bars and hydraulic shock absorbers complete the chassis, a setup that emphasized balance and agility over brute force. This Spyder, stamped 550-88, is one of the very last 550s built, placing it as roughly the third from the final run of approximately 90 cars.
Originally, the 550/1500 RS was powered by the legendary 1.5-liter Type 547 flat-four, the famed Fuhrmann engine, producing around 135 horsepower. This sophisticated engine featured four overhead camshafts and twin Weber 40 DCM1 two-barrel carburetors, an advanced and costly design that helped define Porsche’s early racing success. Steve retains the original engine and is patiently waiting for the right time to have it rebuilt.
The Porsche 550/1500 RS Spyder, introduced in 1953, is one of the most iconic race cars of its era. Developed as a purpose-built machine, it combined the lessons of the 356 with early racing prototypes built by Walter Glöckler. Internally designated Type 550, the car began life in 1952 on a lightweight tubular frame, with wheelbase, suspension, and brakes similar to the 356. Technical development was led by Ernst Fuhrmann, who created the all-new Type 547 engine, an advanced design that would form the blueprint for all Porsche air-cooled engines through 1998.
Early 550s raced with an interim 1500 Super engine, but by 1954 the 550 RS was competing full-time, achieving class wins at the Mille Miglia, Le Mans, Carrera Panamericana, the 1000 km of Buenos Aires, and more. Porsche soon shifted focus to customer teams, yet the cars continued to impress with results at Sebring, Le Mans, the Tourist Trophy, and the Targa Florio.
The model evolved in 1956 with the 550A, featuring a lighter chassis, improved bodywork by Wendler Karosserie, and continued engine refinements. These developments laid the foundation for the 718 RSK, Porsche’s next-generation mid-engine race car, which carried forward the lightweight formula with updated suspension and aerodynamics. Works cars, factory-owned and factory-prepared race cars, were lighter and often fitted with the latest updates, while customer cars were sold to private teams. Works cars weighed around 530 kg, customer cars about 570 kg. The Spyder could be driven to the track, raced, and driven home, a dual-purpose machine that was as practical as it was competitive.
Across the cockpit, bodywork, and even under the hood of the Spyder, signatures trace the car’s storied history. They include Wolfgang Porsche and early drivers such as Eberhard Mahle, Denise McCluggage, Ruth Leve, and Richie Ginther, figures who helped establish the 550’s racing reputation in Europe and the United States, along with the names of original U.S. owners, including the Beagle family and the Lehrs, marking the hands that maintained, raced, and cared for the car over the years. Symbolic touches on the bodywork deepen that story: the Snoopy Beagle on the fairing honors the Beagle family as the car’s first U.S. owners, while the “Cal Tech” marking nods to Steve’s father and Eldon Beagle, who attended the California Institute of Technology at the same time. One of these signatures would later unlock a long-overlooked chapter in the Spyder’s racing life. Together, these marks — from cockpit to bodywork to under the hood — form a living ledger of the Spyder’s life, blending competition history with personal connection and preserving its story in a way no logbook ever could.
Steve recently uncovered a remarkable chapter in the Spyder’s competition history. Richie Ginther raced this very car at Santa Barbara in September of 1956, driving it on short notice after another von Neumann Spyder intended for him was still being prepared and unavailable. With time tight, Johnny von Neumann handed Ginther this car directly from the shop floor. Evidence suggests that Ginther may have damaged the crankshaft during that outing, as only two races later, after von Neumann sold the car to Eldon Beagle, the engine failed. Beagle subsequently wrote to the Porsche factory, questioning how such a failure could occur given the care he took in breaking in the engine — unaware of the car’s earlier hard use. This connection was only confirmed earlier this year, when period details revealed that von Neumann had two Spyders at the time, one finished in silver and the other in white. The period photo below suggest that Ginther was driving the white Spyder, supporting the conclusion that this is likely the very car he raced.
This is a rare and legendary car with a story few others can match, one that Steve has worked carefully to preserve. As a survivor, it feels equally at home among the diverse mix of European classics, older hot rods, one-of-a-kind customs, modified Japanese domestic-market vehicles, and modern exotic supercars at any car gathering that it graces.
Thanks for coming along for the ride.
Frank
