PORSCHE 911 SPYDER DRIVER

Porsche followed up the successful 550 with the 718, a race car built between 19. Image credit – and Bettmann/Getty Images.It is likely that some, maybe even all of this is nothing more than legend, but it makes for fun research. Apparently while in storage, the building burned down and the only thing left was the car, untouched by the fire somehow.

PORSCHE 911 SPYDER DRIVER

After that, during transport, a truck driver lost control of the truck and was thrown from the vehicle, only to have the 550 fall off and kill him. While on display, the body rolled off a truck again and broke the hip of a nearby student. A race car that had the engine of the 500 crashed killing the driver and during the very same race, a different car that had the transmission crashed, severely injuring the driver. A thief broke his arm trying to steel the steering wheel. When unloading the body, it rolled off the trailer and crushed a mechanic’s legs. The car body and the drivetrain were separated. Dean’s passenger later died in a drunk driving accident and the driver of the Ford of died of lung cancer. Thankfully, Dean’s passenger and the driver of the Ford survived although if you believe all of the stories, the little bastard was cursed and continued to wreak the kind of havoc that you will only find in a Stephen King novel. The accident involved a collision with a Ford sedan…the little Spyder didn’t stand a chance. Dean had been ticketed for speeding just two hours before his fatal accident. He had nicknamed his car “the little bastard”. The 550 is perhaps most well known for being the car that James Dean died in. The 550 Spyder got off to a strong start for Porsche, winning the first race it entered, and continued to be a successful race car throughout its run. Mid-engine, meaning the engine was mounted forward of the rear axle, was in contrast to the 356 (and later 911s) with their rear engine layout. The 550 had a mid-engine mounted air-cooled four cylinder engine. According to my research, the first time Porsche used the Spyder name was for the 550, a beautiful race car made between 1953 to 1956.

Porsche 911 spyder