Porsche 550 J Junior Spyder Revealed at £69,500

Hedley Studios, formerly known as The Little Car Company, has returned under its original founder Ben Hedley and a group of private investors.

Its comeback brings something particularly special: an officially licensed, 80 per cent-scale Porsche 550 Spyder with electric power.

Called the Porsche 550 J Junior Spyder, the new model has been created using original production drawings alongside a 3D scan of a full-size 550, with Porsche itself officially backing the project.

Just 250 examples are planned, making this a highly exclusive take on one of Porsche’s most recognisable early sports cars.

Underneath the carbon-fibre composite bodywork sits a tubular spaceframe chassis. That detail is particularly relevant to the original 550, as the first 89 production cars used a ladder frame before Porsche moved to the stiffer arrangement for the 550 A.

The Junior also uses hand-formed carbon-fibre composite body panels rather than attempting to simply shrink the original car.

As with Hedley Studios’ other creations, there’s no miniature flat-four engine here. Instead, the standard Porsche 550 J uses an 11bhp electric motor, giving it a 40mph top speed and a claimed 30-mile range.

The car isn’t registered for road use, but the optional RS Pack turns up the performance considerably.

The RS Pack adds adjustable Bilstein dampers, drilled Brembo brake discs and additional batteries, increasing top speed to 50mph while extending range to 50 miles. The Junior weighs 330kg in standard form, rising to 350kg with the RS Pack.

Despite its smaller dimensions, Hedley says the cockpit can accommodate two adults, while positioning the battery and electric motor behind the seats helps replicate the weight distribution of the original 550 Spyder.

Inside, there’s even a Nardi steering wheel designed to mirror the original, while the classic choke lever has been converted into a drive-mode selector.

Owners will also get plenty of scope for personalisation, including Porsche’s Paint to Sample colours and historically appropriate liveries. With a starting price of £69,500 plus taxes, though, this is very much a collector’s car rather than a cheap introduction to Porsche ownership.