The meaning behind Panamera

From the left, a 550 and a Panamera

Most of us hear the name Panamera mentioned, Porsche's only four door car, but don't know the meaning or history behind it. With Porsche, history is abundant and found everywhere on their cars.

The name is derived from the "Panamericana", a highway system that runs across the American Continent, from North to South. After the Mexican section of the Panamericana was completed in 1950, it was inaugurated with a race called the Carrera Panamericana.  In 1954 the 550 Spyder, coined the Giant Slayer, won a class victory, which now lives on in the name "Panamera".

Ralph Lauren owns chassis #61 (out of only 90) and it can be appreciated here.

Thanks for reading.

Source: Road & Track, Wikipedia.
Photo credit: Porsche.

Record setting $3.6M 550

Two weekends ago lot 15, a 1955 Porsche 550/1500 RS Spyder, was sold for a record $3.685 million at the Gooding & Co auction at Amelia Island, Fla. The car was advertised as "one of the most genuine 550s in existence". It is the highest price ever paid for a 550.

Very few of these Porsche 550s remain today. Dubbed the "Giant Killer", the legendary air-cooled race car (the first ever purpose built race car by Porsche) where victorious right from the start at world class endurance races, such as the Targa Floria, Mille Miglia and the Carrera Panamericana.

The 550 made another type of headline when movie star James Dean fatally crashed his in 1955. The car was nicknamed "little bastard".

Source: Sports Car Market
Photo credit: Pawel/Litwinski