Motoring enthusiasts often claim that their beloved cars are more than just a collection of engineered bits of metal, plastic and rubber. They have, they say, personalities of their own and are often given names.
One such car was the silver Porsche Spyder bought by legendary screen icon James Dean in 1955. One of only 90 built, it was a stopgap purchase by racing enthusiast Dean while he waited for the Lotus he had ordered to be delivered.
Dean dubbed the car “The Little Bastard” and, if ever, a car was well-named it was this one. There was something sinister about it and several of Dean’s friends warned him against driving it. The famous British actor Alec Guinness went further. He first met Dean outside a Hollywood restaurant on September 23, 1955 and Dean proudly invited him to take a look at his new car.
Guinness was disturbed. “If you get in that car,” he said, “ you will be found dead in it by this time next week.”
James Dean's Car: Head-on collision
Seven days later, Dean was dead at the age of 24. The Spyder was a mangled wreck after a head-on collision with another car.
The Little Bastard’s career of mayhem had only just begun. The wreck was bought by a man called George Barris, who specialised in customising vehicles, even though he said he had “bad feelings” about it.
No sooner had it arrived at Barris’s garage than it slipped and fell as it was being unloaded from the truck. A mechanic had both of his legs broken.
The Little Bastard’s next victims were two doctors taking part in a race in October, 1956. Troy McHenry was driving a car powered by the Porsche’s engine. Rival William Eschrid’s car also contained parts from Dean’s car.
McHenry was killed when his car suddenly skidded out of control and hit a tree. Eschrid’s car turned over and he suffered serious injuries. He later said the car suddenly “locked up”.
Immediately after the race, a youngster slipped and injured his arm while trying to steal the Porsche’s steering wheel.
Two of the Spyder’s tyres were sold, albeit reluctantly, by Barris. A few days later, both tyres blew out at the same time, which is stretching coincidence way beyond reasonable limits. The driver narrowly escaped death.
By now most people would have consigned the Little Bastard to the depths of the Pacific but with the best of intentions Barris loaned the wreckage to the California Highway Patrol for use in an exhibition on road safety.
James Dean's Car: Disappeared
The garage in which it was stored burned to the ground. Every vehicle in the garage was destroyed with the exception of - you guessed it, the Spyder.
The mishaps continued, including another fatality when the driver of a truck hauling the car died. He was thrown from the truck in an accident and the Little Bastard fell on him. Finally, the wreckage mysteriously disappeared from the back of a truck on the way to a safety exhibition in Miami. It has not been seen since. It was probably stolen but I for one wouldn’t want to be in the thief’s shoes.
Sources:
- AMC's Hollywood Ghost Stories television special.
- GSL.net. Mysteries by Colin Wilson, Panther books, 1978.
- Richard Winer and Nancy Osborn, Haunted Houses, Bantam Books, 1979.
Brian Baker - My name is Brian Baker and I live in Manchester, England though I was born almost 70 years ago in Liverpool, 30-odd miles down the ...
