Porsche 550 COUPÉ 1953

The 356 road car had been on the market for a few years and had already demonstrated its racing capabilities when Porsche developed its first car specifically designed for competition. Referred to as type 550, it was a lightweight, agile two-seater sports car or spider that quickly gained recognition in the 1500/1600 class. In 1953, awaiting its specially designed 2 x 2 ACT engine, the 550 took centre stage at Le Mans and in the demanding Carrera Panamericana race across Mexico. In the latter event, two of the first models, featuring a closed body for improved aerodynamics, managed to win in their class.

Porche's design department embarked on project no. 550 within a relatively short timeframe, as the aim was to have the car ready for the 1953 Le Mans 24 Hours. However, even though the car was built on schedule, that was not the case for its engine, as it was not tested in a race until August of that year, before being presented to the public at the Paris Motor Show in October. Also in Paris, Porsche displayed the final version of the car, announcing its production and sale to private customers starting in 1954 as the 550 RS. Meanwhile, the model was already attracting attention: Helmut Glöckler won the Eifel Grand Prix, held on 31 May at the Nürburgring circuit, driving the first 550 equipped with the 1.5-litre boxer engine taken from the 356 Super. This was a promising result ahead of the 24 Hours of Le Mans two weeks later, where Porsche entered two cars equipped with a coupe body designed to improve aerodynamics and top speed. The drivers Richard Frankenberg and Paul Frère, racing in car no. 45, and Helmut Glöckler and Hans Herrmann, in car no. 44, crossed the finish line almost simultaneously, taking 15th and 16th place overall and first and second place in the 1.1 to 1.5 litre class.

With this double result, the 550s, including two additional models built in the meantime, took part in new races, with varying degrees of success. The coupés made few appearances, the first being just after Le Mans, on the AVUS circuit in Berlin, where Hans Hermann achieved an impressive second place. Next came the Carrera Panamericana, part of the World Sportscar Championship calendar that year.

This race covered the whole of Mexico, from the northern border with the United States to the southern border with Guatemala. Hence the presence at the start by teams and drivers from Guatemala, including those entrusted with the two Porsche 550 Coupés – who were private competitors participating in the event for the first time. Winning the Sport class up to 1.6 litres was car no. 152, with Carlos A. González and José Sala Herrarte Ariano at the wheel, who finished 32nd overall. The other car (No. 154) was entrusted to Antonio Asturias Hall, racing alongside Czech driver Jaroslav Juhan in the latter's team. These two were the fastest right from the start: they put in an excellent performance during the first seven stages (out of eight), dominating their class, before being forced to retire due to mechanical failure.

Jaroslav Juhan was born in Prague in 1921 and became a citizen of Guatemala, the country to which he emigrated after the Second World War. He had a relatively short sporting career, almost entirely behind the wheel of Porsche 550s, with which he competed in races that counted towards the World Championship from 1953 to 1955. His disappointment at having to retire from the Carrera Panamericana in 1953 proved to be short-lived, as he bounced back the following year to finish fourth overall, this time in a 550 Spyder. And in 1953, Juhan got his personal revenge by winning an event in Puebla – the last ever victory for a 550 Coupé. Apart from Mexico, Juhan also raced in Argentina: between 1954 and 1958, he took part in every edition of the Buenos Aires 1000 km race, where, in 1955, his best year, he finished fourth, followed by sixth place overall at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, competing alongside Helmut Glöckler. His second appearance at Le Mans in 1958, driving a Ferrari 250 TRI with Frenchman François Picard, came to an end when they were forced to retire. Antonio Asturias, however, is only known for his appearances in the 1953 Pan-American Race and the 1954 Buenos Aires 1000 km, again as Juhan's teammate. He finished ninth overall and first in his class in this second race, which remained the best result of his short career.