It's #ThrowbackThursday! Tiff and Jason have fun in two old fashioned racers round the track! For more fantastic car reviews, shoot-outs and all your favourite Fifth Gear moments, subscribe to our Official Channel - / fifthgearuk
Back in the late 1950s I had one as an every day driver, after three years I sold it and bought a Mk1 Sprite that I still own. By the way back then the Sprite was worth about twice as much as the Lotus!! Ex track cars were two a penny.
Aw man, what I'd do to race the 550 Spyder (or any porsche at that.). Listen to that sowing machine engine, 118hp of awesomeness. The classic Porsches are just to die for! In my opinion of course.
I saw an original Porsche 550 Spyder being repaired at my Dads shop. He dismissed it like it was nothing. Even joked that it’s not even a real Porsche for having a Volkswagen engine same as the Beetle. Me I was excited to just see one in the flesh. Even though the car was in a very rough shape and in pieces.
That was cool. I love the entire staff at Fifth Gear! Those guys and that beautiful Vicki are the best hosts on a car related TV show ever. I like Fifth Gear better than Top Gear. That replica Lotus Eleven is gorgeous. And it goes without saying that the Porsche 550 Spyder is in a class all it's own! Both cars look incredibly fun to drive or own. I'd take either one of them.
I remember seeing ab F40 for 300k about 10 yrs ago and half jokingly telling my mate to sell his house for one.... 3 years later the same car sold for £1,000,000 !
A million headaches 4 sure. I was watching video and reading up on them the other night. Apparently there is a German firm that makes everything for those 4 cam engines. Even buying shims or nuts and bolts or oil seals and what not can run hundreds of dollars real quick. Finding a qualified mechanic to work on a Porsche-Furmann engine can be a major undertaking. Then, if ever you have to dial in the cam timing and ignition timing? Whoa! Hold on to your checkbook! 4 cams and dual distributors. Whoopie!. Not just a matter of lining up marks on a couple pulleys. These things are bevel/shaft cam drives. I don't know what all is involved. Also, there is a difference between just lining marks up so it will start up and run and degreeing a cam.
No they were built to win races. They only weigh about 1000 lbs. The real ones had independent suspension and could outhandle the competition in the corners.
@joeszymanski6936 They made 3 versions of the car. One with a hood and tall screen for the road, next the clubman and the top version was the Le Mans, that was the only one with irs it had a de dion set up. In the late 1950s, early 1960s I had one as a road car.
Tiff, what company makes the retro suit? Looks to be fireproof and thicker than the original. I drove a faux 550 once. It had a hotter cam than Porsche put in the 912. No power til 4000 then you could hardly see the hand on the tach it went up past 6000 so quickly.
$400 grand????? What is this guy talking about. A real Porsche 550 will cost you $5,000,000 to $6,500,000. $400,000 won’t even pay the 10% sellers fee.
Bruh… I mean you can have your opinion and all, but I have difficulty understanding how you can have a great appreciation for postwar Porsche bodylines and turn your nose up at the all aluminum bodied lotus that was hand wheeled by retired aircraft aerodynamicists… it don’t add up man. Unless you’re a PCA snob? That’s my only logical conclusion. They’re both art on wheels imo.
@@AlexMason3 Whoa you replied 4 years later?! And honestly ngl I lowkey hope more people share your opinion so I can afford a lotus 11 someday... prolly not gonna happen tho :(
