Porsche Sports Racers Ultimate Portfolio 1952-1968

Book excerpt: The Porsche type 550 appeared in 1953. Designed for competition purposes, it featured a complex flat four that produced 110 bhp from just 1.5 litres. Quite a feat for 1953 - more than half a century ago! Not only was it light, it was very quick and soon became a class winner in major long distance races. It also became quite a collector's piece. A new era was ushered in with the release of the stunning Type 904 that was shown to the media in 1963 and entered competition the following year. It had a fibreglass body of exquisite beauty, and a totally new chassis with coil spring suspension. It was to have a long and successful racing career and spawned more great racing Porsches over the next decade beginning with the fabulous Carrera 6, the first Porsche to be powered by a flat six engine. Thankfully, many of the small numbers of these cars that were built have survived and are often seen in classic events around the world. They still look and sound great.