‘Little Bastard’: James Dean’s cursed killer car
Despite only having a handful of acting credits to his name, James Dean became one of Hollywood’s brightest stars during the mid-1950s. His ability to encapsulate teenage angst through his character in Rebel Without A Cause marked a shift in the on-screen presentation of youth culture. In fact, young people identified with his portrayal of disillusionment so strongly that he managed to transcend the big screen, hugely influencing many rock and roll musicians.
Rebel Without A Cause and East of Eden were both released in 1955, yet, that same year, Dean died in a tragic car accident at the age of 24. The actor was a keen racer, competing in several competitions between filming movies. However, on the way to the Salinas Road Race, travelling inside his new 1955 Porsche 550 Spyder, nicknamed the ‘Little Bastard’, Dean met his untimely demise.
After receiving a speeding ticket around two hours before his death, Dean kept driving at a fast pace, resulting in an unfortunate collision between Dean and a student named Donald Turnupseed. The latter had taken a left turn on Route 41, resulting in a crash between the two cars. Dean reportedly drove as fast as 85mph, subsequently stopping himself from braking safely.
Dean was accompanied by a Porsche mechanic, Rolf Wütherich, who flew out of the window, but Dean wasn’t so lucky to escape with survivable injuries. He died almost instantly, breaking his neck upon impact. Although Dean died as his career was just beginning, his acclaimed legacy only increased, although his car only gained greater notoriety.
The ‘Little Bastard’ was purchased by George Barris for $2,500, although it managed to break a mechanic’s leg during transportation. Many fans speculated that Dean’s vehicle possessed a force larger than the humans that it came into contact with, and soon the Porsche 550 Spyder would cause even more chaos.
A man named Dr William Eschrich placed the engine of Dean’s ill-fated car into his own Lotus IX, and in 1956, he was involved in a non-fatal crash with the vehicle, leading people to suggest that it was cursed. This speculation only increased when Troy McHenry crashed his car, which was installed with several parts of Dean’s vehicle, ultimately killing him, too.
Barris loaned the car to Los Angeles’ National Safety Council, where it was exhibited at various locations for several years. In 1959, the vehicle caught fire while being stored in a garage, although it remained relatively intact. It also fell on someone while displayed for exhibition in Sacramento, breaking their hip. The car was even responsible for the death of a driver named George Barkus after it fell on him. Evidently, the car was bad news, leading Barris to conceal information surrounding its whereabouts. In 1960, the car disappeared, with only the transaxle remaining to be found.
The car continues to be a great mystery, leaving many to question whether these events were just a series of coincidences or a higher, darker force at play.