1955 Porsche 550 Spyder by Beck
Only 4975 original miles. One of the handful of original, hand-laid fiberglass cars that Chuck Beck actually had his hands on before production was moved to Brazil. Reputed to be the best of these 550’s – note the nice body gaps and original shiny finish with no stress cracks, damage or rust after 35 years! Color closely matches the red offered in the original cars (see the youtube video "550 Spyder Found In Storage Container" for original color). 1776cc motor with Weber 40 IDF’s built by the legendary Gene Berg (considered the "guru" for these motors in the 80's and 90's). Titled as “1955 Porsche Replica.” I'm the third owner - car was purchased in 1986, never completed, stored until 1999 then sold to the second owner (a top engineer with one of the worlds largest aerospace companies) who updated everything, completed it, then sold to me. Entire car was just recently serviced. I believe it qualifies for classic car importation rules for EU, Australia and Canada (maybe others) but potential buyers should check this. Everything works – all gauges, horn, wipers, all lights, blinkers, etc. (except for an inaccurate fuel gauge). Parts are inexpensive and easy to get, as are classic car insurance rates. Have proof of 1986 production including the original Beck order form, manufacturer’s statement of origin and bill of lading. Clean title with North Carolina assigned VIN #. Boxes of parts and looseleaf binder full of receipts. Incredibly fun to drive and the Magnaflow exhaust has a great sound. Other features include:
Pertronix ignition with Flame-Thrower II high performance coil
electric fuel pump with a pressure regulator
Brandwood cable shift assembly
Magnaflow exhaust
KYB modified (valved for 550) high performance gas shocks
Taylor Pro Race ignition wires
enlarged oil sump with remote filter
"wide 5" (5 bolt vs. original 4 bolt) Porsche chrome rims
Porsche gauges
adjustable driver’s seat
Sumitomo ultra high performance tires with 2020 date codes – 185 rear, 175 front
alloy metal front grill with correct style gasket and hardware
racing jack points; welded in back – decorative in front
banjo style steering wheel with correct Porsche horn button
drum skins
vintage-style latch and link seat belts
tonneau cover in perfect condition
period correct emblems and badging
The following maintenance was done in the last 200 miles or so:
valve adjustment
shift linkage adjustment
Weber carbs synced
timing
spark plugs
oil, filter and transmission fluids
complete alignment with spring plates and torsion bars removed/adjusted for correct ride height, camber, etc.
wheel bearings adjusted and re-packed
new front brake pads and fluid, rears adjusted and system bled (drum brakes all around)
steering box adjustment
new axle boots
Not for the shy – you can't go anywhere without attracting a huge crowd, questions, requests for photos, etc. Gets more attention than million $ Ferraris at any event.
