VIN: the works / Jaroslav Juhan Porsche 550 chassis 01
History of chassis 01
Chassis 01 was the first 550 assembled by Porsche and one of two examples completed to 550/1 specification. This pair (01 and 02) both received a chassis and body fabricated by Weidenhausen in Frankfurt whereas the subsequent 550/2 prototypes (03 to 15) either had Wendler or Weinsberg chassis / body combinations with rear torsion bars mounted ahead of as opposed to behind the engine. 01 to 05 all received coachwork with fixed instead of hinged rear body sections.
01 was campaigned by the works Porsche team throughout the spring and summer of 1953. It debuted in Spyder trim at the opening round of the 1953 German Sportscar Championship, the six lap 137km Nurburgring Eifelrennen on May 31st. Helmut Glockler qualified the little Porsche on pole and, despite carburettor problems caused by the very wet conditions, took a famous maiden victory.
01 was then joined by 02 for the 550’s next outing, the Le Mans 24 Hours, which took place over the weekend of June 13th/14th (round three of the inaugural World Sportscar Championship). Both cars ran in closed Coupe form by virtue of a detachable hardtop. Chassis 01 was allocated to Helmut Glockler / Hans Herrmann and chassis 02 to Richard von Frankenberg / Paul Frere.
The 550s ran like clockwork in France and ultimately crossed the line 15th (02) and 16th (01) to claim first and second places in the under 1.5-litre Sports class.
Four weeks later, the same brace of 550s were on hand for round two of the German Sportscar Championship which took place at the formidable Avus ring on July 12th. Once again appearing in closed Coupe trim, on this occasion the 20 lap 166km contest was won by Hans Klenk in his works Borgward 1500 RS while Herrmann came home second in chassis 02 and Glockler crashed out in chassis 01.
Next up was the Nurburgring Rheinland event on August 2nd (round three of the domestic series) where Porsche ran an updated 550/2 complete with four cam engine during practice (chassis 03). However, only the existing pair of 550/1s contested the 160km seven lap race (in Spyder trim).
Despite the strongest field of the year, Hans Herrmann vanquished the opposition to take victory in the freshly repaired chassis 01 while Helmut Glockler dropped out at mid distance with engine trouble in 02.
All three 550s were then on hand for the German championship finale, the Freiburg-Schauinsland Hillclimb, which took place a week later on August 9th. Notably, Hans Stuck gave the four cam 550/2 its competition debut, however, he was unable to make the peaky new motor run perfectly and Herrmann took class victory in chassis 02. Karl-Gunther Bechem’s works Borgward was second, Stuck claimed third in class with chassis 03 and Glockler was fourth in chassis 01.
At this point, Porsche felt the 550/1 had reached the end of the line and switched focus to the 550/2 with its tweaked chassis / suspension and four cam motor. Chassis 01 and 02 were refurbished and sold off to Guatemalan-domiciled Czech, Jaroslav Juhan.
Juhan retained chassis 01 and sold chassis 02 to Jose Herrarte Ariano.
Both cars went on to contest the 1953 Carrera Panamericana (as Coupes) where Herrarte Ariano won his class while Juhan failed to finish.
One week later, the pair of 550/1s also ran in the Guadalupe Grand Prix in Puebla where Juhan finished sixth overall and took the class win in chassis 01.
Chassis 01 went on to race twice during the 1954 season. Alongside Antonio Asturias Hall, Jaroslav Juhan bagged ninth overall and class victory at the World Sportscar Championship season-opener, the Buenos Aires 1000km on January 24th. Ten months later, Salvador Lopez Chavez drove the car to 28th overall and fifth in class at the World Championship finale: the Carrera Panamericana.
01 subsequently dropped off the radar until the 1990s when it appeared at an auction in Guadalajara, Mexico. The much modified car was sold to Manfred Lipmann who began a restoration that was ultimately completed by the subsequent owner, Miler Collier.
In 2008, Collier established the Revs Institute, a not-for-profit collection of over 100 motor cars together with an important archive.
Today, 01 is on display at the Revs Institute at 2500 S. Horseshoe Drive, Naples, Florida 34104.
Notable History
Porsche KG
Registered H70-3000
31/05/1953 GSC Nurburgring Eifelrennen (H. Glockler) 1st oa, 1st S1.5 class (#131)
14/06/1953 WSC Le Mans 24 Hours (H. Glockler / H. Herrmann) 16th oa, 2nd S1.5 class (#44)
12/07/1953 GSC Avus (H. Glockler) DNF (#131)
02/08/1953 GSC Nurburgring Rheinland (H. Glockler) DNF (#131)
09/08/1953 GSC Freiburg-Schauinsland Hillclimb (H. Glockler) 4th oa, 4th S1.5 class (#131)
Sold to Jaroslav Juhan
23/11/1953 WSC Carrera Panamericana (J. Juhan / A. Asturias Hall) DNF (#154)
06/12/1953 IND Guadalupe GP, Puebla (J. Juhan) 6th oa, 1st S1.5 class (#154)
24/01/1954 WSC Buenos Aires 1000km (J. Juhan / A. Asturias Hall) 9th oa, 1st S1.5 class (#58)
23/11/1954 WSC Carrera Panamericana (S. Lopez Chavez) 28th oa, 5th S1.5 class (#51)
1990s auctioned in Mexico
Sold to Manfred Lipmann
Sold to Miles Collier
Text copyright: Supercar Nostalgia
Photo copyright: Porsche - https://www.porsche.com
