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James Dean's Haunted Porsche
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When a successful actor dies suddenly in their prime, it always guarantees that their legend will endure for many years to come. They will always be remembered as they were at their most popular and famous point. It is even more intriguing when there is a ghostly legend surrounding the story. This was the case when James Dean was killed in an auto accident while driving his newly purchased Porsche 550 Spyder. On September 30th, 1955, James Dean was driving to a race with his mechanic Rolf Wutherich when his car collided with Donald Turnupseed's 1950 Ford Tudor.
James Dean was killed in the accident, but Wutherich, who was ejected from the car survived. Turnupseed was not seriously injured in the collision. The car that Dean had dubbed "Little Bastard" would lead to his untimely demise. Dean had already received a speeding ticket earlier in the day and had just finished taping a car safety PSA just before his death. According to his mechanic, his last words were "that guy's gotta stop, he'll see us."
What happened next has been the subject of many articles on the web, and of course is the stuff of legend and myth. According to many different accounts, Dean's Porsche 550 Spyder kept causing trouble even after his death. After the accident the Porsche was sold to a car dealer who put it on display in order to increase public awareness and encourage safe driving. Curious visitors were charged a quarter each to see the legendary "Little Bastard". Next, the car was sold to car customizer George Barris for $2500, who planned on parting it out.
While it was being delivered, it rolled off of the trailer and broke a mechanics legs. It seem that the car was then apparently parted out. A Beverly Hills doctor named Troy McHenry is said to have purchased the engine to use in his racing Porsche. On his first outing on October 22nd, 1956 he was killed at a track in Los Angeles after hitting a tree after losing control of his Porsche with the newly installed Dean engine.
The transmission apparently went to another doctor William Eschrid who had a similiar result. It is said that he was injured in a car crash when his car overturned, but he did survive. Another driver who purchased two tires from Dean's Porsche was reported to have had a double blow out which resulted in a crash. Other stories mention a boy who tried to steel Dean's steering wheel, but he ended up cutting his arm in the process.
Finally, when the car was loaned to the California Highway Patrol to promote auto safety, the garage where it was being stored caught fire. Every car was destroyed except for the Porsche 550 Spyder. Incidents continued, and while the car was being shown in Sacramento, California, "Little Bastard" tumbled off of the display and broke a child's hip.
Another death resulted when a truck driver who was transporting Dean's Porsche was thrown from his truck, and the 550 fell on him. The car was last on display for another car safety exhibit in Miami in 1960. While being transferred back to California from Miami, the Porsche 550 Spyder mysteriously vanished and never made it back to Los Angeles.
After 5 years of mysterious mishaps and tragedies, the car has never been seen again. Just like the the legend that surrounds James Dean, killed in his prime, the Porsche 550 Spyder "Little Bastard" also has become the stuff of legend.
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