The Porsche 550 Spyder is a lightweight open-top sports racing car produced by Porsche from 1953 to 1956, with approximately 90 examples built in total. It was developed specifically for motorsport competition and is powered by a mid-mounted 1.5-litre air-cooled flat-four engine, designated the Typ 547 and known as the Fuhrmann engine after its designer Ernst Fuhrmann, producing around 110 hp in race-tuned form. The 550 achieved significant victories in its class at events including the Carrera Panamericana and the Nürburgring, establishing Porsche's reputation as a serious competition manufacturer despite its small displacement. A development of the design, the 550A Spyder, followed with a revised tubular spaceframe chassis offering improved rigidity and handling, and the 550 lineage ultimately laid the groundwork for the later RSK.
