Rare 1956 Porsche 550 Spyder of Which Only 90 Were Built Found in Barn, Set to Sell for over R35 Million

• A rare 1956 Porsche 550 Spyder sports car has been in a barn in Switzerland for over 35 years and bounced around between Swiss racing drivers early in its life
• The 550 Spyder is infamous for being the car that Hollywood heartthrob James Dean crashed and died instantly in a 1955 crash
• The car's value has skyrocketed in the last decades with just 90 units produced worldwide, and UK auction company Gooding & Company expects it to sell for over R35 million

One of Porsche's most beautiful and rare cars will be auctioned after being found in a Swiss barn after 40 years.

Porsche built 90 examples of the 550 Spyder model between 1953 and 1956 and is inextricably linked with James Dean's death in a 1955 crash, reports Drive.com.au.

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This model was put into storage in the 1980s and was found around 35 years later in a Swiss barn, according to SiloDrome.

The beautiful 550 Spyder changed hands between Swiss racing driver Rita Rampinelli and Heinz Schiller before being mothballed. The 550 Spyder was well known in the racing circles and claimed victories at Le Mans, Carrera Panamericana and Targa Florio.

Values of the rare sports car have skyrocketed in recent years and auction house Gooding & Company estimates the prized Porsche to fetch north of R35 million. It has been modified somewhat with a new RS60 body and new factory 1.5-litre engine.

Watch an information video of the 550 below from Porsche's Youtube channel:

The world’s most valuable car sold for R2.2 billion after a private collector buys a 1955 Mercedes 300 SLR UCoupé

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Another old car that sold for crazy money at an auction was a 1955 Mercedes 300 SLR UCoupé earlier this year, Briefly News reports.

A 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupé has been sold at auction for a record price of €135 million or R2,2 billion to a private collector.

The car, which is one of two created in 1955, has always been regarded as one of the great jewels of motoring history, but few ever imagined that it would be offered for sale.

The remarkable 300 SLR was based on the hugely successful W 196 R Grand Prix car which won two World Championships in the hands of Juan Manuel Fangio, but with its engine enlarged to 3.0-litres for sports car racing. The car was capable of 289km/h, making it one of the fastest road-legal cars to have ever been created at the time.

Source: Briefly News