1958 Porsche 550A Spyder

As Porsche’s initial dedicated competition model, the 550 Spyder was an unqualified success and a legendary performer. In both factory and privateer hands, the 550 and its successors would dominate small-displacement international sports car competition for nearly a decade and could even challenge for overall victory against much more powerful machinery from Ferrari, Maserati, and others.

Never resting on its laurels, Porsche redesigned the 550, replacing the model with the 550A in 1956. Various changes greatly enhanced its drivability, including a change to a space-frame design, a first for Porsche. Its body shape was also modified, and the spare tire and wheel were moved to the front trunk for better weight distribution. Importantly, the rear suspension now used trailing arms instead of swing axles, giving the car greater stability. Still powered by Ernst Fuhrmann’s marvelous four-cam, flat four-cylinder engine, the results were remarkable, and the 550A is widely regarded as one of the easiest-to-drive and most forgiving of Porsche’s racing spyders. It was called “the greatest long-distance racer in the world” by legendary racer Ken Miles, who had significant time behind the wheel of a 550A.

Completed on March 3, 1958, this example, chassis 550A-0141, is among the final 550A Spyders constructed, and has a fascinating competition history. Delivered through Porsche Salzburg, it was acquired new by Austrian composer, concert pianist, and accomplished driver Ernst Vogel, one of Austria’s foremost Porsche privateer racers during the 1950s. Already well known for his success behind the wheel of a 550 Spyder, Vogel naturally elected to upgrade to Porsche’s latest machinery in the form of this 550A.

During the 1958 season, Vogel established 0141 as one of the region’s most successful competition cars. Among its finest achievements was an outright victory at the Opatija Grand Prix in Yugoslavia, where the nimble Porsche demonstrated its brilliance against substantially more powerful machinery. Vogel also captured class victories at Zeltweg and Innsbruck in Austria, helping him secure the 1958 Austrian Championship for 1.5-Liter Sports Cars.

In addition to his racing, Vogel also embarked on a speed record attempt in 0141 on a closed section of motorway near the German-Austrian border in November 1958. He recorded an average speed of 218.182 kph (135.27 mph) based on a flying-start average of two runs in opposite directions over a 1 km distance. These achievements were recognized by Porsche itself, and a copy of a 1958 Porsche poster celebrating these records remains on file, noting that Vogel set eight national and four absolute Austrian speed records.

Following its remarkable European campaign, chassis 0141 returned to Porsche KG in Stuttgart, where it was reportedly refurbished before being exported to the US. There it was owned and campaigned by noted Porsche dealer and accomplished racer Harry Blanchard, one of the earliest and most influential Porsche privateers in America. Blanchard successfully campaigned the Spyder in Sports Car Club of America competition, further adding to its impressive racing résumé.

The Porsche reportedly next passed through the hands of respected Porsche dealer Chuck Stoddard before being acquired by enthusiast Joel Neshkin, who continued to race the Spyder in vintage competition. While Neshkin was piloting 0141 in a race at Road Atlanta, he was hit by a Corvette and retired from the competition. He temporarily stored the damaged Porsche at his house, but a fuel leak from the car was ignited by the pilot light of his home’s gas heater. The fire caused sufficient damage that 0141’s front bodywork had to be discarded. However, Neshkin continued to race the car, albeit now with a fiberglass Devin body.

Longtime Porsche four-cam enthusiast Steve Terrien of Issaquah, Washington, acquired the Spyder nearly 40 years ago via four-cam expert Jim Wellington at Rennsport Werke of California in 1986, and served as an exceptionally dedicated steward of this historically important machine. The Porsche’s current aluminum body was recreated by the renowned Kimmins Brothers of Arizona, using a wooden buck they made from chassis 550A-0135. The same buck was reportedly later employed in the reconstruction of a body for 550A-0129, now part of the Porsche Museum collection, according to documents on file. Terrien was so pleased with the results that he left the car in polished aluminum for decades to showcase the Kimmins Brothers’ work.

Among the most significant restoration work undertaken during Terrien’s ownership was a mechanical rebuild, including of the car’s transaxle and four-cam engine, by renowned Porsche specialist Bill Doyle around the year 2000. This work is documented by invoices and detailed records on file. The Spyder’s engine is stamped with number P90-108.

In the last year, the Porsche was painted in its original metallic silver shade by a Seattle-based specialist and was fitted with beige upholstery sourced from Germany, the same color in which it was originally specified. The experts at Griot’s Motors of Seattle then took great care to recreate the Spyder’s 1958 competition appearance, including expertly hand-painted race numbers in One-Shot sign paint, matching those visible in its period competition photographs. Complementing this presentation is a beautifully executed, European-style front license plate, created using CAD design to replicate the distinctive plate worn by the Spyder during its Austrian competition career. The result is an evocative presentation that honors one of the defining periods in the car’s life. Adding to the Porsche’s appeal is an archive of period photographs that capture chassis 0141 during its racing career, and the car is further documented by mechanical invoices, records, and correspondence.

Few automobiles embody Porsche’s formative years as completely as the 550A Spyder. The model helped establish the engineering philosophy that would propel Porsche to international dominance in sports car racing for decades to follow. Chassis 0141 represents that legacy at its very best: one of the final 550As built, raced successfully by one of Austria’s leading Porsche privateers, campaigned by an important American Porsche pioneer, and cherished by Steve Terrien for nearly four decades. Sadly, Mr. Terrien passed away in 2025 and the car is offered today by his family. Eligible for premier concours d’elegance, historic racing events, or inclusion within the finest Porsche collections, 550A-0141 embodies the engineering brilliance, competition pedigree, and enduring appeal that define the legendary 550A Spyder.