At the Paris Motor Show in October 1953, Porsche introduced its first car developed especially for motor racing. The 550 Spyder had a simple ladder frame chassis, aerodynamic bodywork and a four-cylinder horizontally opposed 1.5 litre engine which, from 1954, produced 110 hp. Top speed was 220 km/h and this low, light and extremely manoeuvrable sportscar could accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in just over 8 seconds. The car achieved its legendary status through some spectacular successes, including wins at Le Mans and the Mille Miglia.

Hans Hermann began his racing career in 1952 as a rally driver. In 1953 the Stuttgart born driver became German Sportscar Champion and he participated in Formula 1 racing during the same year, too. In 1954 he also entered the northern Italian motor racing classic, the Mille Miglia. Together with racing engineer Herbert Linge - who was already working at Porsche when the factory re-opened in 1949 and who had been in motor racing since 1952 - Hermann entered the race in the 550 Spyder with the number 351. One incident that took place shortly after the start of the race in Brescia went on to become a piece of racing history. Whilst travelling at high speed the team saw a level crossing barrier lowering as they came out of a bend. Hermann immediately stepped on the accelerator, both men ducked, and the car shot under the almost fully lowered barrier with just millimetres to spare. With their convincing performance the Hermann/Linge team won the 1954 Mille Miglia in the 1500 class and came in sixth in the overall rankings.

This great slot car hits the street at the end of June, 2006. Be sure to visit your local hobby shop or our online catalog to add it to your collection!

<- Back to: News