Page 1 of 1 The 1955 season was the final outing for the Lampredi designed four cylinder engine in Grand Prix racing. In short stroke form it was fitted in the 553 and 555 chassis. The former was only used for a short time and was quickly revised after the drivers complained about its handling. This revised chassis was dubbed 555. The shape of the 553 earned it the nickname 'Squalo', which is Italian for shark. Its replacement had a similar shape and was referred as 'Super Squalo'.
Mercedes-Benz and Lancia both used 8 cylinder engines and Maserati a straight six, all more powerful than the Ferrari. Only one Grand Prix fell Maranello's way, the Monaco Grand Prix.
Halfway through the season Lancia withdrew from racing. Ferrari bought all the D50 V8 cars and the technical team lead by Vittorio Jano. These cars were entered in the 1956 season as Ferrari-Lancia D50, replacing the four cylinder racers and were instantly competitive. Page 1 of 1