To Be OFFERED AT AUCTION at RM Sothebys' Munich event, 23 November 2024.

• A wonderfully restored example, retaining its matching-numbers engine and gearbox
• Supplied new to Jack Manting of Big Rapids, Michigan, who used the car to compete in 13 SCCA events from 1956 to 1959
• Placed 3rd overall at the 1956 Six Hour Road America and 4th in class for the 1959 edition of the 500 Mile Road America
• Just five known previous owners before joining The Aumann Collection in 1992
• Subject to €21,000-worth of engine overhaul work in 2015 performed by marque specialist Karl Hloch
• Accompanied by a detailed history file and a set of spare wheels with many other rare parts

Completed in late-October 1955, chassis 550-0072 was one of just 90 Porsche 550 Spyders that were manufactured from 1953 to 1956. Destined for the United States, the car was sold new to Jack F. Manting of Big Rapids, Michigan.

Manting was an avid SCCA racer and purchased the 550 Spyder to replace the Porsche 356 that he raced in 1955. Debuting the new car on 10 March 1956, he finished 9th overall and 2nd in his class at the SCCA National Waterloo. Manting raced three further times that year, with his final two events at Elkhart Lake in September. Partnered with Mike Ward, they drove in the SCCA Four and Six Hour Road America races. The duo finished 3rd in class for both competitions.

Manting continued to field chassis 0072 for the 1957 season and placed 8th in class on 19 May at the SCCA National Cumberland. For the National Road America, Manting finished 7th in his class. He attempted the 500 Mile Road America race but failed to finish.

For 1958, Manting improved on the previous season’s results. In the Traverse City S1.5, he took home a podium result, placing 2nd. In August at the SCCA National Milwaukee, he was 3rd in class. He entered the 500 Mile Road America for the second time and the car failed to finish, but it was not Manting’s last attempt.

The driver’s final season with chassis 0072 was over 1959. Racing on 21 June at the National Road America, he was 9th in his class. For his third attempt at the 500 Mile Road America, Manting competed against the likes of Briggs Cunningham, Robert Penske, and William Sturgis. Paired with Ward, they placed 18th overall and 4th in their class, having covered 106 laps of the Elkhart Lake Circuit.

Chassis 0072 was sold by Manting to Gilbert Horton of North Dakota at the end of 1959. In 1962, Horton sold the car to Archie Walker. The 550 Spyder remained in the Walker family for over 20 years and was painted in a shade of yellow. Its next owner acquired chassis 0072 in 1986 from the Walkers and decided to completely restore the car, taking care to retain as much of the period Wendler bodywork and components as possible. He repainted the car in a shade of metallic silver, alongside a rebuild of the entire drivetrain. Likely completed in the late-1980s, chassis 0072 was purchased by Dieter Aumann in 1992.

Remaining in Mr Aumann’s care for 30 years, the Porsche presents beautifully today. In March 2015, €21,000 was spent on removing the engine, then being stripped, inspected, and rebuilt. The braking system was also overhauled.

Upon inspection, the car has been found to retain its matching-numbers engine and gearbox. The numbered ignition key matches the build record, while the fuel tank is still fitted with the correct fuel level sender by VDO. Interested parties are encouraged to look at independent reports issued by Jochen Bader and Andy Prill. The vehicle is accompanied by a spare set of period-correct 16-inch wheels, a racing speed jack, as well as a pair of Solex 40 PII carburettors, small windshield, and a history file containing both period racing images and restoration photographs.

With just five previous owners from new, and fascinating period SCCA race history, chassis 0072 is a wonderful example of a US-delivery car. It is extremely rare that one of the 90 Porsche 550 Spyders built still exists while retaining its matching-numbers engine and gearbox. This example will surely appeal to all Porsche enthusiasts and collectors.

To view this car and others currently consigned to this auction, please visit the RM website at rmsothebys.com/auctions/mu24/.