Porsche 550 J review — a pint-size wonder that's full of surprises The Times Adam Hay-Nicholls Porsche 550 J review — a pint-size wonder that's full of surprises new Hedley Studios' handcrafted miniature Porsche costs ￡83,400. If you mount it on a wall and don't give it a spin you should be reported to Unicef Adam Hay-Nicholls behind the wheel of the Hedley Studios Porsche 550 J Simon Thompson for Hedley Studios Adam Hay-Nicholls Wednesday October 21 2026, 5.00am BST , The Times Listen 0:00 / · 9:37 min Share Share this article Email Twitter Facebook Link Save Puzzles Challenge yourself with today's puzzles. T he word “icon” gets tossed around far too much these days, but when we're talking about racy roadsters of the mid-1950s this tag rightfully applies to the Porsche 550 Spyder. Pioneering in its simplicity, it's certainly an icon by association, and a giant killer in more ways than one. James Dean, having just wrapped filming on the western epic Giant , was killed at the wheel of his silver Spyder in September 1955 while en route to a motor race in Salinas, California. Dr Ferry Porsche had a total of 90 of these aluminium sports cars built, powered by a mid-mounted 1.5-litre four-cylinder boxer engine and weighing a featherlight 550kg. They took class wins at Le Mans 24 Hours and Carrera Panamericana and won the 1956 Targa Florio outright. Most commented 1 Budget 2026 predictions: when is it and what could be announced? Economics 236 comments Jimmy Dean's Porsche had a nickname that was painted on its derriere: “Little Bastard”. So may I introduce you to the vehicle I'm reviewing here: the “Even Littler Bastard”. The Hedley Studios Porsche 550 J next to its inspiration, the Porsche 550 Spyder Simon Thompson for Hedley Studios This is the Porsche 550 J — the “J” standing for “Junior”. It's 80 per cent scale, all-electric and fresh off the hand-built production line at the Bicester workshop of Hedley Studios. Hedley was previously known as the Little Car Company but has rebranded itself in order to sound less like a toy shop. Top stories 1 10 shows to watch after Slow Horses TV & Radio 2 Tripsnacking? Finally a travel trend I can get on board with Advice 3 Belgium's most stylish autumn weekend break — and it's not Bruges Belgium 4 17 of the best cruise lines for solo travellers Cruises 5 This cosy hotel is perfect for an autumnal trip to the Lake District Lake District These aren't toys, it claims — no argument there. Nor are they always little. As well as shrunken and electrified Bugatti Type 35s, Aston Martin DB5 Volantes, Ferrari 250 Testa Rossas, Bentley Blowers and now this 550, Hedley has created a x10 scaled-up road-legal Tamiya Wild One, the radio-controlled buggy every little boy wanted for Christmas in the 1980s. The company's celebrity clients include Jason Momoa, David Beckham, Rihanna and ASAP Rocky. Advertisement Read more expert reviews, news and insights on cars and motoring Hedley is headed by Ben Hedley, 49, a Cambridge engineering grad and former speed skier for Great Britain who was previously COO of the furniture-maker Linley (so he knows all about craftsmanship) and has become a serial entrepreneur. The key to Hedley's success has been convincing the zenith of automotive marques to officially sanction these products, and hand over their original archive drawings and 3D scans. This access is unprecedented, and each car is the result of over 300 hours of highly skilled labour. The test cars, which Adam tried out at the Porsche Experience Centre, Silverstone, were available in silver and blue Simon Thompson for Hedley Studios Each junior car takes Hedley Studios more than 300 hours to produce Simon Thompson for Hedley Studios The 550 J comprises more than 1,300 meticulously crafted components, many of which are indistinguishable from the original's without the aid of a ruler, or are a playful update. The Porsche emblems, for instance, are all period-correct and supplied from Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen. The chassis is a light but stiff tubular spaceframe directly inspired by the 1956 550 A, a racing evolution that benefited from increased tortional rigidity and safety. The charging port is discretely housed beneath the handsome chromed “fuel filler” cap atop the bonnet. Top stories 1 Prepare now for the inheritance tax mess coming for your pension Tax Top speed is as much as 50mph — only about 5mph slower than Dean was going when he collided with another car. And like the actor's “whip”, there are no seatbelts here (let that be a lesson). You could have them fitted, and then you could go about getting the 550 J road-registered. Hedley's 85 per cent-scale Bentley Blower comes with a number plate. The 330kg 550 J is a much smaller car than the Bentley (an automobile Ettore Bugatti described as “the world's fastest lorry”), and Porsche is not keen on people registering them for the road, I'm told. Hedley is not encouraging it. But it's the DVLA's call, and with seatbelts you should be good to go. Advertisement At the 1954 Mille Miglia the racing driver Hans Herrmann and his co-driver Herbert Linge saved vital time by slipping beneath a closing railway barrier at speed in their low-profile Spyder, emerging unscathed and catching their quarry. This sounds like asking for trouble, but no railway barrier, car park barrier or any other barrier to entry — social or otherwise — is going to restrain the 80cm-high 550 J. All the driver needs to do is duck, then announce their arrival to the authorities. To drive, it's not dissimilar to the cars of Herrmann, Dean et al. It's a lot quieter of course, but its 11bhp electric thrust replicates the 110bhp original, as does the positioning of the drivetrain and compact lithium-ion battery packs, which are mounted behind the seats. Seatbelts could be added… and then it may be possible to register the 550 J for the road Simon Thompson for Hedley Studios The suspension uses Porsche's customary twin trailing-arm front suspension and swing-axle rear configuration, with springs by Eibach and dampers from Bilstein. It convincingly replicates the balance, poise and precision of a balletic 1950s mid-engined racer, aided by modern Brembo disc brakes that stop much more assuredly than period drums. It rolls and slides and is as agile as a water boatman. The bespoke aluminium alloy wheels, engineered to closely replicate the original design, are matched to EV-specific Continental tyres that were originally manufactured for the Renault Twizy. These eContact tyres are designed to slide when pushed. This was in the interests of safety when it came to the high-centre-of-gravity Twizy. Here, on the Porsche, they make it feel like you're flat-out on the Targa Florio when you're just bumbling around on tarmac. Things gets even more exciting with the RS Pack, as found on the blue car shown here. This Rennsport-style upgrade results in double the batteries and power boosted to 21bhp, which means with its instant torque it will pounce off the line faster than a 70-year-old Porsche ever could. Range increases from 30 to 50 miles. The discs are drilled and the pads are sintered. The coilover dampers are adjustable, just in case you want to prep for a mini Carrera Panamericana (a race series for these things would be a sight to behold). Advertisement With the RS Pack, the top speed is 50mph and the range increases to 50 miles Simon Thompson for Hedley Studios The springs come from Eibach, the dampers from Bilstein, the brakes from Brembo and the tyres from Continental Simon Thompson for Hedley Studios There's a bonanza of personalisation available, too, should you wish to colour match it to your 911 or Cayenne, add historic racing decals, commission an aero cowl, tonneau or race-inspired windscreen, or reveal visual carbon (the 550 J uses carbon-fibre rather than aluminium bodywork as the tooling needed for the latter would be prohibitively expensive). Or maybe fit a Bose speaker so you can cruise to the sound of some Bill Haley hits with a pack of Marlboro reds hidden under the sleeve of your white grease-stained T-shirt. Inside, the cockpit reflects the 550 Spyder's singular, race-bred minimalism. Facing the driver is a familiar-looking three-dial instrument panel dominated by the large central tachometer. A battery charge meter takes the place of the fuel gauge, while the manual choke lever is repurposed as the drive mode selector. The wood-rimmed removable steering wheel is manufactured by Nardi, the original supplier to Porsche. The familiar dials and switches look faithful to the original but have been repurposed to display battery level and control drive modes Simon Thompson for Hedley Studios A ceiling of 250 units has been set, priced from ￡83,400 each. The RS Pack carries a ￡11,400 premium. Just to add some real world perspective, buy an Alpine A110 and you will be left with at least 30 grand's change. Porsche will sell you a range of brand-new full-size electric cars for less. Or, if you wish to fulfil time travel to 1955 (and maybe swing by the Enchantment Under the Sea dance ), how about a classic Porsche 356 for about the same? The 550 J is tremendous fun, but not, I would argue, as much fun as a 718 Boxster GTS 4.0 with a manual gearbox — a car that Porsche is going to wish it never ditched. You could also have a new Lotus Emira or BMW M2 CS. These are all much more usable options. But maybe that's not the point. Read more from Adam Hay-Nicholls Hyundai Ioniq 3 review — I'm an EV cynic, but admit this is good Smart #5 review — the toy-town runabout becomes a heavy hitter Aston Martin DBX S review — the Swiss army knife of supercars You might imagine that Hedley's shrunken icons are built for the children of the super-rich, but that's not quite true either. They are built for car collectors, and their kids rarely get a look-in. Ben Hedley tells me that 80 per cent of these cars are never driven. They're all destined for someone's ego mausoleum, probably in the USA, India or Dubai, alongside their full-size supercars and vintage baubles. One Hedley machine hangs in a customer's penthouse apartment overlooking New York's Central Park, nailed to the wall. From the lucky owner's sofa I'm sure one can appreciate the design, but the Bilstein and Brembo kit seems like overkill. Advertisement More to the point, if you're the financially privileged father of a 12-year-old and you don't let them tear up the driveway in your Hedley car, that is poor parenting and you can expect a visit from social services if I've got anything to do with it. If you buy a Porsche 550 J and it just sits there gathering dust, you should be forced to hand it over to Unicef. Life & Style Driving Share Share this article Email Twitter Facebook Link Save