I can always count on Rory to keep me on my toes. Let me explain.
In the 356 era Porsche made over 75,000 cars, less than 300 were aluminum, so yes, they did use aluminum on occasion but steel was the metal of choice and we know the results of this, lots of rusty Porsches. For example, this car was made the same year as the 550, 1955, it fared far worse in terms of metal.

I wish 0054 was mine, it's not. My friend Bill owns it but has been very generous giving me access to it for a million photos and measurements. It went up for auction last year but failed to meet reserve at 2.2 million, I think.
This is me sitting in it.

OT-I have a (professional automotive design) scan of an original 550 that a gentleman in SoCal owns. We milled a scale model from it once. These days an apple pro phone can scan it (I doubt the quality is very useable for milling - but as technology goes, I could be surprised).

Thanks for the aluminum topic tiitle explanation, though. I can only imagine that all aluminum 356 hulks found in overgrown fields would cost a lot more money today.

Ironically a friend of mine was towing a VW bus through Europe and stopped at a roadside junk store because he was looking for camera parts. The guy had some camera stuff, saw the VW bus and brought my friend out back. In the weeds was a Gmund coupe, aluminum, the body was savable, the chassis (steel) had to be restored. He bought it and restored it. He has quite a collection of early Porsches, he bought the earliest one I've ever found, a 51 that was sitting on a mountaintop in VA.

That was at least funnier than the April fools joke.
You want to step on my for a few words? Is your wife cheating on you like Will Smith.

Matt

I love seeing Adam show all this Porsche history. I don't understand why he got so made about words? The welding does not look great... ITS OK... let it go without slapping.

Matt

Like all auto manufacturers, Porsche built....and continues to build cars for profit
.....not posterity.
The race cars were built for a purpose.....to win.
They had no idea that fifty, seveny years on, their creations would be so
coveted.
They inadvertaintly gave all of us a passion and some a profession.
Steel, aluminum, titanium ? used as necessary.

The Factory sure spent years not coveting the early cars. Here is Porsche #1 languishing behind the Factory in the 70's.

Great shot and thanks for sharing, a half a century ago who would have thunk it?