The Porsche 550 was fitted with the first engine developed for Porsche by the company's later Board Chairman, Ernst Fuhrmann. This 1.5 litre, four-cylinder engine with vertical shaft drive had four overhead camshafts. Top speed was approx. 220km/h and the low, light and highly manoeuvrable sports car could accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in just over 8 seconds. The 550 was also driven on the high-speed AVUS circuit at the Berlin Grand-Prix. To keep aerodynamic drag to a minimum the car had fairings over the tank filler and the rear wheels. Its tuned engine delivered 122 hp against the normal 110 hp. In September 1955 Richard von Frankenberg triumphed after completing 248 kilometres at an average speed of 196.3 kilometres per hour.