(2002) 1955 Porsche Beck 550 Spyder
SerialNo.550000758
Body color: Silver Blue
Interior: Red
Mileage: 519
Value: $25 K
Wheelbase: 82.7 in / Length: 150 in / Width: 65.8 in / Weight: 1300 lbs. / Height: 44.7 in (15 in tires) / Transmission: standard 4--Speed Manual Synchronized / Suspension: Independent 4-wheel TRAILING ARM (SWING AXLE at the rear) with gas filled shock absorbers and stabilizer bars / Steering: VW steering racks, Gear box Type Non-Assist Turning Diameter (ft) 33.5 / Brakes: front disc, rear drum, handbrake on rear wheels / Top Speed 125 mph / Fuel Capacity: 10.5 gal / Horse power: hp @ rpm 67 @ 5000 105 @ 5000 / Performance: 110 bhp from its 1498cc engine
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Yes, you can drive around town or attack your favorite mountain apexes in a factory-original Porsche 550 Spyder. But for most enthusiasts, it's not as easy as that. An honest-to-Stuttgart Spyder,
or one of its several Porsche sports and racing derivatives, is seriously expensive. They're rare, too - yet another reason they're expensive. Bending up that genuine aluminum coachwork would certainly
be a big Bad. So, like the Shelby Cobra, the Spyder is one of those cars that make a lot of sense as a replica (aka kit car, component car, etc.). Racer/hot-rodder/car-builder Chuck Beck thought the same.
The Beck Spyder is honestly, but not fanatically, faithful to the concept and detail of the original. Its chassis is a tube-frame near-replica of the original Spyder's, though the coachwork is rendered in
fiberglass. This much of the car, plus the wiring harness, complete interior, and a few other components, is manufactured to Beck's order
by a small firm in Brazil.
Beck will sell you a Spyder in two forms: The largely completed Basic Package includes a painted body, powder-coated chassis, leather interior, instruments, glass, wiring, brake lines, fuel tank, and lights-and
runs $14,900. The owner adds the engine, transmission, front suspension, plus his own sweat and gears.
The driving experience is best described as "it is what it was." Light weight is the Beck Spyder's trump card-one of the reasons the original was such a successful racer, often against much more powerful competition.
A 0-60 time of 5.3 sec is impressive, no matter what era a car was born in, though ancient brake technology and relatively narrow rubber do show up in the lonnnnng stopping distances.
You hear and feel everything this close-coupled mid-engine roadster is doing, with that rorty air-cooled VW blatting away just over your shoulder. Our tester had a near straight-through exhaust system, which proved
a little too rorty; Beck added that this particular muffler was pretty well shot and most cars are quieter. The Spyder is a direct, immediate machine. Its controls require a lot of input, but return a lot of feedback.
Numbers mean little; it's a sunny-day, go-for-a-drive, just-for-the-helluvit toy. No wonder the impossibly cool James Dean bought an original Spyder way back when. It's just a shame he died behind its wheel-on the way
to a race.
Depending upon which records you believe, Porsche originally built approximately 90 similar Spyders. Today, they command $200,000-$500,000, depending upon condition and race history. Doesn't $20-grand sound like a better deal?
source: Wikipedia
