Sportscar ace Jack McAfee was well-versed in racing powerful, if temperamental, Ferraris for team owner John Edgar. Recognising the superior balance of the lightweight and nimble new Porsche 550 Spyder, he urged Edgar to buy the ex-Works car driven by Hans Herrmann and Wolfgang von Trips to 1.5-litre class victory in the 12 Hours of Sebring in 1956. Aboard that machine, McAfee claimed that year’s Sports Car Club of America Modified F division title.

McAfee’s friend Stan Sugarman then agreed to buy a selection of cars from Edgar, before placing an order for chassis number 550A-0116 offered here. The late racing driver Herbert Linge, who was notably the first mechanic employed by Porsche upon its factory moving to Stuttgart, wonderfully kept handwritten records of all 550As built. Dispensing with a ladder chassis in favour of a lighter and more rigid spaceframe setup, just 40 of these evolved Spyders were produced. Per Linge’s notes, this example was completed on 18 February 1957 before being delivered to McAfee’s marque dealership in Burbank, California on 4 March.

Three months after, on 15 June 1957, this car made its competitive debut at Paramount Ranch Racetrack. McAfee scored 2nd place in a preliminary heat on the Saturday and then banked a brace of wins the next day. After snaring victory at Pomona in late July, the 550A—then sporting a red and white livery—became a regular fixture in SCCA events over the following two seasons. Highlights from a stellar racing record include wins at Palm Springs and Riverside in November 1957, prior to triumphs at Altamont Raceway Park, Phoenix, Laguna Seca, and Vaca Valley. Further successes for McAfee came at the Hourglass Field airfield-turned-circuit, Santa Barbara, and Continental Divide.

On 10 February 1959, almost two years to the day since chassis 550A-0116 was completed, it was sold by Sugarman to fellow California resident Elden Beagle of Sacramento. Later that year, the Porsche was purchased by marque dealer and keen endurance racer Don Wester in Monterey. Finally leaving the Golden State, the car was acquired in 1961 by Irwin Schuebach of Spokane, Washington. It is believed that this example continued to race at least into the 1962 season before the 550A found ownership with a series of dedicated Porsche collectors.

Between 1965 and 1983, the car was owned by Chuck Woodward in Kent, Washington. Returning to California, chassis 550A-0116 spent a year with Bill Perone of Huntington Beach, who oversaw a restoration. It then relocated to South Africa with William Zunkel and later David Cohen. From 1989, the Porsche moved back to America under the custodianship of famed race team owner and two-time 24 Hours of Le Mans class winner Dick Barbour.

In 1993, the 550A Spyder was bought by Japanese collector Hui Takahara and later shipped to Germany to be overhauled by championship-winning Porsche race team and long-time restoration specialist Freisinger Motorsport. The car was returned to period configuration, while gaining the updated 1959-specification aerodynamic nose design. Meanwhile, Karl Hloch built a fresh four-cam motor and replaced the original engine case. The matching-numbers engine case (P 90109) has been retained and accompanies the sale. The supporting July 2012 invoice (available to view on file) totals €25,065.

Purchased by a new owner in 2013, the Porsche was exhibited at the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance the following year, where it won Best in Class for post-war race cars built before 1965. Subsequently acquired by the vendor in August 2018, chassis 550A-0116 was sent in early August 2019 to renowned classic Porsche specialist Andy Prill in the United Kingdom for an exhaustive six-year restoration. As part of the exacting nut-and-bolt overhaul, the bodywork was stripped back to the bare metal and repainted. Furthermore, the engine was rebuilt around a factory exchange crank case sourced from Italy (numbered KD P 91040), and the matching-numbers gearbox was reassembled ahead of the project being completed in late August 2025. Invoices on file total more than £307,000. Beyond an initial test drive, the 550A heads to auction in Monaco in what Prill describes as “box-fresh” condition.

In addition to being offered with its incredibly rare matching-numbers engine case, the car is complemented by a Porsche Spyder Type 550A Driver’s Manual, a raft of period photographs capturing its competition pedigree, race event programmes, and report clippings.

Boasting known ownership history from new, more than 25 race wins in period, and now offered fresh from a meticulous restoration by one of the world’s pre-eminent Porsche specialists, this 550A Spyder presents as one of the finest examples of its breed. It is sure to live on as a prized feature at any concours or display event in addition to making for a halo addition to the collection of any Stuttgart or motorsport enthusiast.