Ultra-Rare $6 Porsche 550 Spyder Discovered In Shipping Container After 35 Years
There is no doubt that the Porsche 550 Spyder is one of the most sought-after models the brand has ever produced. However, since most of these Porsches lived in the 1950s, tracking them often becomes surprisingly difficult. However, one of these ultra-rare machines just resurfaced after decades in storage.
According to The Drive, this latest discovery comes out of Orange County, California, where this rare car sat in a shipping container. Aside from being ultra-valuable, this 550 Spyder raced in Hawaii and the Bahamas. Thanks to this unusual preservation method, this little car is undoubtedly worth millions.
How many Porsche 550 Spyders are there left?
According to TopSpeed, around 90 Porsche 550 Spyder examples left the factory in total. Owners of these cars bought and raced them successfully throughout the 1950s. However, with such a small production run and plenty of on-track crashes, many of them didn’t make it out of the 1950s.
Despite these frequent racing incidents, Hemmings estimates that we know the location of around 80 percent of that original run. However, that list grew thanks to the little red car in the image embedded above.
According to The Drive, this particular Porsche 550 Spyder was owned by a man named Les Gunnarson. This is important because Gunnarson left behind a collection of motorcycles when he, unfortunately, passed away.
Bobby Green of Old Crow Speed Shop reportedly went to look at this collection of motorcycles, hoping to buy some. However, that’s when he stumbled upon the shipping container with the racecar tucked neatly inside.
This one raced in Hawaii
Despite its owner’s recent passing, this Porsche 550 Spyder reportedly sat in that shipping container for at least 35 years. Thankfully, since California’s weather tends to be quite dry, this is a much better environment for preserving a classic car such as the 550.
Aside from its outright value and significance today, this Porsche 550 Spyder raced quite a bit in its day. In fact, The Drive report that this exact car raced in both Hawaii and the Bahamas before getting locked up.
Additionally, this car originally sported a white exterior finish throughout the early 1950s. However, when it changed hands in 1955, it was resprayed with the red color it wears today.
According to The Drive, this car underwent a complete restoration sometime in the 1980s. However, Gunnarson last registered it back in 1994. As the story goes, the car went into the container relatively shortly after its complete restoration. Thanks to its excellent state, this car is far from cheap.
How much is a Porsche 550 Spyder worth?
According to The Drive, this Porsche 550 Spyder already found a new home. While we don’t know exactly how much it sold for, we can certainly take an educated guess. According to TopSpeed, one of these cars sold for $3.6 million back in 2012. However, in 2016, one example owned by Jerry Seinfeld sold for $5.35 million.
As a result of this upward trend, this barn find is likely worth over $6 million. As a result of this valuation, we may never see it out on the road again.
