i never knew this about the 550

[nchs09]

the 550 spyder is not legal in the streets of the us, so every 550 anyone sees its a replica car.


i just read it, it says that porsche refused to give 3 of them to the us for destruction so they could run emissions test. i thought it was a preatty cool thing to know :)

[corvette97]

first of al a 550spyder is a ferrari not porsche, and thats a really stupid thing, cuz' they dont crash a finished crash, they use al but with dif. interior :twisted:

[mrzonda]

Actually, Im pretty sure that there is an old Porsche race car from the fifties called the 550 spyder.

[deth]

no, he's right its a porsche.....its teh car james dean died in.

http://www.plastics-technology.com/projects/lozorno/images/img1.jpg

[Chaos in 1983!]

the 550 Spyder IS a Porsche...it's the one James Dean crashed and died in in. I think Porsche did a good thing...these cars shouldn't be destroyed, they are rare enough...

http://web.margie-bookshop.se/ovrigt/se-034.jpg

[deth]

good thinking chaos! i guess us 20/21 year olds think alike :mrgreen:

[corvette97]

aaaaaaahhhhhhh, i just saw that car once, and didnt knew the name, !!! sorry my bad, but anyway i thought the was talking 'bout the 550spyder and talking about test crashing, but yes the cars is rare and really valuable, like it :wink:

[BADMIHAI]

Well.....the latest Spider Ferrari that I know of is the 360 spider. The Ferrari is called Spider, while the porsche is a Spyder, with a Y. It's a very nice car! How did James Dean die in it?

[deth]

some crazy ass crash in the desert i think...hit a pole...saw a documentary/recreation of it on tlc or discovery channel a while ago.

BTW i think thats what happened..not 100% sure

[deth]

http://www.drivingthedeathcar.com/images/deancrash.jpg

"September 30, 1955
James Dean Killed in Car Smash, Aged 24





James Dean, star of the recently released Steinbeck-adaptation East of Eden, was this evening killed in a car crash in California, United States. He was travelling with a friend, Rolf Wutterich, who is believed to have survived the accident although seriously injured. Local police are as yet unsure of the exact circumstances of the crash although it is thought another car was involved.

Dean was driving his newly-purchased Porsche Spyder 550 near Paso Robles, central California and had been given a speeding ticket only hours before. Shortly before 6pm this evening, the accident occurred and he was pronounced dead at the Paso Robles War Memorial Hospital later on in the evening. It is believed he died at the scene of the accident within minutes of the collision.

James Dean was born in Marion, Indiana, ten miles north of Fairmount, on February 8, 1931. He divided his childhood between Fairmount, Indiana and California. His mother died when he was only nine years old."

http://www.dailypast.com/showbiz/jamesdeankilled.shtml

[Toronto]

i think he hit the back of another car, a wagon, not 100%, and the 550 was a race car so y would it be road legal that is way they are RACE cars, it is legal to drive on a race track in the us

[corvette97]

sad, for james dean, the car looks pretty insecure

[Chaos in 1983!]

good thinking chaos! i guess us 20/21 year olds think alike


thanks deth...I guess we do think alike...when I saw the post there was no answer yet, then when I hit the post button, your answer was already there... :D

[spicymustard]

You are wrong about the street legal thing. First of all they never crash tested anything in the 50's. And i am sure you are wrong b/c my dads friend has a real 550 spyder with a lisence place and regestration that he legally drives on the street.

[deth]

can we get pix? r u sure its not a replica?

[Epic2112]

It's now possible to have old cars registered in the US for limited street use. When the original minis came out in the 1960s they were not legal in the US, but they are now, though I think there are pretty specific rules about when/where/how much you can drive them. It's probably the same with the 550

[Porsche996Turbo]

Are you sure you dont mean the Porsche 959?

[he7lius]

Here you can see the pictures
http://www.gtplanet.net/forum/t-35402.html

Button of the page.

Also on this week/month Evo Mag.

[Schwalbe]

Me too, I am sure the Porsche 550 Spyder is legal,

About Dean crash in California, A dumb ass farmer smashed the Porsche with his truck at a cross-section road. It was not the fault of James Dean.
I saw that on TLC channel 2 years ago.

[maalox]

Frankie Munez (that annoying kid off of that Fox show) has one for sure, because Ashton Kutcher stole it on Punk'd. He seemed to be driving it everywhere. They do only number a few hundred legitimate copies though.

[nchs09]

wow maybe i didnt make myself clear.. when they do emissions test on cars..... they destroy them afterwards... and porsche didnt give 2 cars for the to do the emissions test, because they would destroy them afterwards.... it was a race car, but also for the streets :)

[nchs09]

oh ya.. btw, corvette97 got OWNED!! :mrgreen:

[RC45]

You are wrong about the street legal thing. First of all they never crash tested anything in the 50's. And i am sure you are wrong b/c my dads friend has a real 550 spyder with a lisence place and regestration that he legally drives on the street.

I was thinking the same thing about 50's crash testing...

[mhn3773]

i think its a 550 barcheta not spyder since that would be a porsche trade mark

[Epic2112]

Are you sure you dont mean the Porsche 959?

Me? Yes I'm sure, although there have also been recent changes that allow the 959 in the US.

[zevolv]

Are you sure you dont mean the Porsche 959? where did you get the idea they were talking about a 959 the car they were talking about is a 550. And BTW there was a Porsche 550 Spyder for sale at a classic car museum/dealer near me, it's called the Volo Auto Museum the car might still be there. They have a great detailing and restoriation facility on site aswell and they do very accurate apraisals.

[racer_f50]

i think its a 550 barcheta not spyder since that would be a porsche trade mark

this thread is about the old '50s Porsche, not the Ferrari 550, so yep it's Spyder for this thread's purposes.

[Fleischmann]

Some people don't see the difference between a Porsche 959, a Porsche 550 and a Ferrari 550 Maranello. Well they should...

[deth]

Some people don't see the difference between a Porsche 959, a Porsche 550 and a Ferrari 550 Maranello. Well they should...

erm i really hope they can see it...
http://www.rapidcars.com/959.gif
porsche 959
http://www.plastics-technology.com/projects/lozorno/images/img1.jpg
porsche 550 spyder(the one this thread is about)
http://www.angelfire.com/de2/ferrari/550/1.jpg
ferrari 550 maranello

[Fleischmann]

Let's hope that makes it easier for some :)

[nchs09]

btw.. this car..(the one i started the thread bout) is my favorite car of all time :) so sweeeet looking