"Little Bastard" James Dean's Death Car

Over a century and a half of its existence, the automotive industry has created many legendary cars. Some, such as the Rolls-Royce, have become symbols of success, while others, such as the DeLorean, are recognizable thanks to shooting in a single film. There are also vehicles with a bad, even mystical, reputation. The most famous can rightfully be called the Porsche 550 Spyder, owned by Hollywood star James Dean.

James Dean bought a Porsche sports car in 1955, when he was at the height of his fame. On the silver body of the car, by order of the owner, they placed the inscription: Little Bastard, that is, “Little Bastard”. It is believed that Dean himself gave the nickname to the car, but this is not so. The first to call the Porsche so was his close friend Dean Jeffreys, a racing driver, stuntman and car designer.

James Dean was delighted with his acquisition. But not all of his friends shared his joy. On September 23, 1955, actor Alec Guinness told a friend that he would break his neck in a new car in a week. Dean laughed at this, because he was an experienced racer and even planned to enter the Indianapolis 500 race. Nevertheless, it all happened, and exactly a week later.

On September 30, 1955, James Dean got into an accident on the Little Bastard and broke his neck. When he was brought to the hospital, he was already dead. The car itself turned into a pile of metal and seemed beyond repair. Despite this, the Porsche found a buyer. It was Angela Perry - a millionaire, a socialite and a big fan of Dean. She restored the car and started driving it. Soon, the “Little Bastard” took her life too - Perry crashed in a car accident near the place where her idol died.

It was a very strange coincidence. An experienced expert, Jonathan Barch, took over the investigation. But he could not bring it to the end, as he was killed by ... a car. No, it wasn't Dean's ill-fated Porsche. Bartsch was crushed by his own car when he was repairing something. The man was lying under her when the car moved and ran over him. Later it turned out that a short circuit that started the switched off engine was to blame.

After a series of tragedies, the Little Bastard was decided not to be restored. The car was dismantled for parts and began to sell in parts. Auto mechanic George Barris took on the job. He managed to attach the motor and two tires. The unit was purchased by doctor William Ashrick, who was fond of auto racing. He installed it on his racing car, which immediately got into an accident during the competition. Not surprisingly, after the disaster, he did not survive.

Tires from the fatal car also got to the race car driver. They burst during one of the races for an unknown reason. The driver suffered injuries that left him disabled for life. After that, those who wanted to buy parts of the Little Bastard were no longer to be found. Therefore, Barris decided to restore the machine that brings misfortune.

But it turned out that Dean's Porsche is deadly even in the form of a pile of scrap metal. During transportation, the truck with him overturned on the turn. The driver managed to jump out of the cab, but still did not escape. He was crushed by the dented skeleton of the Little Bastard that fell out of the body.

Against all odds, Barris restored the sports car. She was gathering dust in his garage for a long time, since no one else dared to drive a killer car. Sometimes "Porsche" was shown at exhibitions, but these demonstrations were accompanied by all sorts of incidents. Once the pavilion where the car was parked caught fire for some unknown reason. In 1960, the "Little Bastard" disappeared without a trace during another transportation. At least that's what the official version presented by the press says.