The Car Page

Brittney shows class--should have got a 550 though.

By Tim Black

In my home town, about as far away from both Hollywood and Cholame as you can psychologically get, Porsche 550 Spyders are seen driving down the street almost daily. The only hitch is, they are not usually the real deal. Jimmy's 550 was all aluminum and you would be hard-pressed to find one anywhere driving around in traffic. But Beck and Thunder Ranch make faithful replicas out of fiberglas and their "James Dean" cars are about as close to the real thing as you are going to get in the 21st Century.

I have a co-worker who tells me an old man has a real all aluminum 1955 Porsche 550 Spyder in pieces in his garage near by. I am attempting to get an interview.

I have driven the replicas and they are noisey as hell, but grip the road like a vice and very fast. They have 2196cc Porsche engines (Jimmy's had a 1496cc mill), but I am not sure they are of the mechanical-age precision of the Ernst Furhman 547 that was in Dean's. The jury is still out on the comparison until I can test-drive a real 550 Spyder and feel what Jimmy did his last day, but  hopefully not have the same outcome.

 Below are some unique ones in my home town of Newport Beach, California at Phillips Auto. Unfortunately this is as close as I can get you to the real thing. Real 550 Spyders are rare. I will add to the page as I find them and hopefully am able to feature the real McCoy soon. 

 Jimmy says: "I'm A Gone Cat".

The 2007 "Thunder Ranch" 550

 The Real Deal

1955 Porsche 550/1500RS Spyder

 Today I am featuring the real thing, not a  550 replica. There are only a handfull of remaining  honest-to-goodness 550 Spyders so I did not want to let this one get sold from Autosports Design Incorporated before I could catch it. It will set you back well over $1,000,000.00. (Dean's cost $7000.00  in '55). Most folks just buy Beck or Thunder Ranch replicas. Now you see why.

A good idea would be to buy one of the originals and store it in a thermatically-controlled bomb-shelter, but a second 550, only this time a replica, and do the Dean Jeffries Paint scheme on the replica.

Brittany Spears just bought a replica silver 356. She didn't hear my idea first!!!

Courtesy of Autosport Design (above)

......And for the replicas

Courtesy of Phillips Auto (below)

Newport Beach, California

1220 West Coast Highway

Newport Beach, Ca. 92627

(949) 574-7777

Chris Long over there has been kind enough to allow me to photograph his 550 Spyders.

He gets in a limited number of the "James Dean" units as well.

 The 2007 Thunder Ranch Porsche 550 Spyder

 The Beck "Dean" 550 Spyder (Notice the head rest, Dean's did not have one. Also these have seat belts!)