LOGBOOK OF A RESTORATION: Porsche 550 Spyder Prototype (with engl. subtitles)

This is the first of two films about the restoration of a Porsche 550 Spyder prototype from 1954. The second film shows the test drive after completion:    • Porsche 550 Spyder Prototype: On the road ...  

Almost the whole year 2020 I was in the process of creating a cinematic portrait of a very special company. In 2017, Alfred Kist, a graduate engineer (TH) and former senior developer in the automotive industry, founded ORCA Restoration GmbH ( https://orca.gmbh) in Eberdingen-Nussdorf. The company is located in a district of the small town of Eberdingen, very close to the Porsche development center. Behind a neutral new façade, Alfred Kist and his team lovingly restore, rebuild and also maintain treasures and precious items from the world of motorsport. Today, the company combines old automotive craftsmanship with state-of-the-art technology. People with the highest level of expertise work here, coupled with a passion for these special vehicles, their history and the technical conditions.

A very special project was the complete restoration of the prototype of a Porsche 550 Spyder from 1954. The car competed in two major races that year: the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Carrera Panamericana. At Le Mans, the number 39 car driven by Johnny Claes / Pierre Stasse was the class winner in the 1500 cc class and finished 12th overall. At the race in South America, Jaroslav Juhan drove the number 56 car and secured 4th place overall and second place in the class up to 1600 cc after Hans Hermann, who also drove a 550 Spyder. The car remained in the livery of this race until 2019. After a checkered history, the owner of the car decided to have the 65-year-old car completely restored by Alfred Kist and his team at ORCA Restoration GmbH. Externally, the 550 was to be given the original paintwork it had when it started at Le Mans. The experts made sure that the exterior was painted in the contemporary design as nitro paint. All parts were also technically overhauled and restored to their 1954 condition. Alfred Kist's team worked on this Porsche 550 prototype for over a year until it set off on its first drive after the long restoration on November 6, 2020.

After successfully completing the rollout, the car was handed over to its owner. Now the car is in the Le Mans Museum in France and can be admired by a wide audience. Please have a look to the film about the rollout:    • Porsche 550 Spyder Prototype: On the road ...  

About the films

Both films defy the fast pace of today's viewing habits and depict the restoration and the first test drive of this unique car in calm images - just appropriate to the theme of classic vehicles. And despite this, or perhaps because of it, both films went viral on social media.

Over just under 25 minutes, the film "Porsche 550 Spyder Prototype - The Restoration at ORCA Restorations" brings the entire restoration process to life, providing unique insights into the work of the team at ORCA Restoration GmbH in Eberdingen. It ends with the first test of the car on the test bench.
The second strip, "On the road again" (   • Porsche 550 Spyder Prototype: On the road ...  ), recounts the first test drive of the nearly 70-year-old vehicle in moving images inspired in style by the unique pictures of photographer Amy Shore. Small note: In view of the car's later location in the Le Mans Museum, the opening and closing credits are in French as opposed to the English-language title with its reminiscence of the old hit by the band "Canned Heat" from the 1970s.

For every lover of old racing sports cars and especially for all aficionados of the Porsche 550, these films are a pleasure - even if you have to plan almost half an hour for them.