A Porsche 550 Spyder constructed on an order from Yugoslav chief Josip Broz Tito shall be in France come October to compete within the Tour de Corse Historique.
Designated chassis quantity 550A-0137, the Spyder was commissioned by Tito in 1957. The president-slash-marshal had been watching a information report on Filmske novosti (Yugoslav Newsreels) protecting a rally the place Yugoslav driver Milivoje Božić was struggling in his BMW 328; though the BMW had gained him the Yugoslav nationwide rally title in 1953, it was far too outdated to maintain up with the sector. Hoping to assist, Tito positioned an order to Porsche to purchase a 550 Spyder for 25,000 Deutsche Marks, receiving a 5 thousand-mark low cost by way of engineer Mihailo Borisavljević; for the reason that authorities had purchased it, the automobile was formally owned by the Car & Motorbike Membership of Yugoslavia.
550A-0137 was already behind the occasions when it arrived in Belgrade in February 1958 since Porsche had began producing the Porsche 718 RSK Spyder line. Though as soon as once more going through a efficiency disparity, Božić impressed by ending third at school on the 1959 Supercortemaggiore Grand Prix in Monza with one set of tyres. The drive earned him manufacturing facility assist from Porsche, which he transformed into one other nationwide title in 1959 adopted by the 1960 European Hill Climb Championship.
Different victories for the automobile included the 1958 and 1960 Loibl Move Yugoslavia, 1959 Opatija GP Abbazia, and 1960 GP Belgrade Yugoslavia. Božić’s achievements finally certified him for a Formulation One Tremendous Licence, although he by no means raced within the collection.
He crashed the Spyder whereas practising for the 1961 European Hill Climb spherical in Geisberg, after which it acquired a spare chassis from Vienna and a brand new engine. Later that yr, 550A-0137 was traded to an Italian collector working with the Prada style line in alternate for a Fiat 850. The automobile has remained in Prada’s stock since, its worth exceeding three million euros.
Solely ninety of the Porsche 550 was constructed from 1953 to 1956, although the corporate continued to make choose orders afterwards equivalent to 550A-0137 on request. It incorporates a centrally mounted, air-cooled four-cylinder boxer engine able to 135 horsepower. It weighs roughly 570 kilograms, fairly mild for its time as a result of physique being manufactured from aluminum.
A 550 gained its class on the 24 Hours of Le Mans and Carrera Panamericana in 1954 beore scoring Porsche’s first outright victory on the 1956 Targa Florio with Umberto Maglioli and Fritz Huschke von Hanstein. American actor James Dean owned one of many unique ninety 550s, which he nicknamed “Little Bastard” and was driving when he died in an accident in 1955.
550s are usually not completely unusual right this moment, albeit as replicas.
The Tour de Corse Historique, a historic rally for vehicles constructed between 1947 and 1990, will happen on 5–12 October.
