#0499 Porsche 550A Coupé

Le Mans 24 Hours 1956

For the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1953, Porsche race manager Huschke von Hanstein and racing engineer Wilhelm Held relied on the closed version of the 550 Spyder, which was faster in practice than the open-top cars from the previous year. This is one of the two sleek 550 Coupés, number 45 in the 1.5 liter category, driven by Richard von Frankenberg and Paul Frère. They clearly won their class and finished fifteenth overall. Here, on the Monday before the big race, the 550 is being prepared for the coming days of racing and scrutineering in the heart of Le Mans.